


Uncertainty

by misanagy



Category: Legend of the Seeker (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:42:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 224,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22977829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misanagy/pseuds/misanagy
Summary: After “Desecrated”, the merry band continues the search for the Stone of Tears, but along the way other things will be discovered and new people will appear in their lives.
Relationships: Kahlan Amnell/Cara Mason
Comments: 153
Kudos: 367





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic years ago, but unfortunately, I never finished it. This has always been my favorite pairing and recently I went online to read a story about them…I only figure out after finishing it that I was the one that had written it. I know, stupid! Anyway, it got me to want to give another try at writing and doing what I should have done a looong time ago, finishing this story. I’ll post the chapters as I read them again, so that hopefully I can fix mistakes that I noticed. At the same time, I’ll be writing the final chapters.   
> Mainly, I’m just having fun again with these two, hope you enjoy it too! :)

The day started normal enough. She woke up at first light to the sound of Richard’s boots shuffling next to her head while he passed by her bedroll. She got up, adjusted her agiels, and went towards the forest, “I’ll be right back,” she said to Richard without turning back.

“Alright, I’ll wake up the others, we should get going soon,” he said with that boyish grin she was used to by now.

She didn’t know exactly were she was going, she just needed a little time to herself; after what happened yesterday she needed to put herself together. She clutched her agiels, letting the familiar pain curse through her. Yesterday something changed, or better yet, she noticed something might be changing in her. It possibly started changing before, but being who she is, acknowledging that was unthinkable. She knew anger, she knew pride, knew loyalty and duty. But there is something new, a throbbing _feeling_ in her chest that she can’t identify. She just fells it, almost taunting her, and not knowing what it is unnerves her more than she cares to admit.

When she and Kahlan were trapped in that awful tomb, she actually thought they weren’t going to make it alive. The Mord’Sith went to the extreme of trying to end her life to increase the chances of saving the Mother Confessor’s. _Stubborn woman had to prevent me_ , she thought rolling her eyes at the memory, _at least we had a good work out_ , she smirked a little as she remembered the fight between them. Plus, she also admitted that she cared about the Confessor, considered her…a _friend_. Cara never saw herself performing any of those acts, either trying to save a Confessor, her once sworn enemy, and least of all disclosing her friendliness towards that same woman. She shook her head, effectively dispersing those thoughts, and made her way back to camp. Noticing that she was carrying something, Cara looked down and was surprised to see blackberries in her hands. Must likely, she picked them up absentmindedly. _I don’t like blackberries that much… but Kahlan loves these things, I might as well take them to her_. Shrugging her shoulders, she went on her way.

At camp, Zedd was biting on a piece of dried lamb in a satisfactory manner. Richard was smiling at is grandfather and his obvious enjoyment of the food. Kahlan wasn’t there, and Cara took the opportunity to leave the blackberries on the Mother Confessor’s bedroll without the other two noticing.

“There you are Cara, Kahlan went to wash up, you should eat something before we leave,” Richard suggested.

“I’m not hungry,” Cara answered dismissively. “But I see some of us never lose their appetite,” she added looking at the wizard with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ll have you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” the wizard said as if was giving a lecture, not showing any sign of being upset by the blonde’s sarcastic comment. “With the distance we cover every day, I have to maintain my strength,” Zedd defended himself.

“We would cover a lot more ground if we didn’t stop at every town to save the poor little children of Sprits knows what,” Cara retorted without missing a beat, fixing both men with a pointed stare. She couldn’t understand how finding that _pebble_ was so important and _yet_ Richard would stop constantly along their journey to help every single one of the damsels in distress. 

Richard just smiled shaking his head, he was aware of what Cara thought about his decisions to pause their quest for the Stone of Tears and help people in need; but he also knew that in spite of all her comments, Cara always helped the town’s people right along with him, Zedd and Kahlan. And by now he suspected that she didn’t do it just because he, _her Lord Rahl_ , asked her to. He believed part of her wanted to help those people, he believed she changed and that she wasn’t the monster others, and sometimes even herself, saw in her. 

“The Seeker must go where his help is needed, and every day that passes we are closer to finding the stone. I believe in Richard’s abilities to fulfill his mission,” Zedd said proudly, getting up and squeezing his grandson’s shoulder encouragingly. Richard smiled his thanks to the wizard and Cara just rolled her eyes at the scene and his words.

“I see you guys are having a good time.” Kahlan said, approaching them and smiling at the banter between her travelling companions. Of course she knew Cara wasn’t joking, the blond often complained about Richard’s habit of taking time off the quest to lend a helpful hand everywhere. But then again, she always helped too, and she was complaining less and less every time. She could be getting used to it, but Kahlan suspected the fierce blonde had a well-hidden desire to help, as well as she and the two men did. She just didn’t know it yet.

“Cara started it,” Richard said grinning at Kahlan and looking at Cara from the corner of his eye. The Mord’Sith turned her head slowly in his direction with a raised eyebrow, scoffed and went to put away all her stuff in order to get going.

Kahlan shook her head good naturedly as she walked to her bedding, with the intention of packing it, and found a handful of blackberries nestled carefully on top. She picked them up and turned to Richard. “Thank you Richard, you remembered that I love these,” she said with a little smile.

“What?” Richard asked while looking at Kahlan’s hand. After he recognized the blackberries he replied. “Oh, it wasn’t me. I didn’t leave camp. But Cara did… maybe you should ask her,” Richard said with a furrowed brow that showed his confusion. _Cara picking up blackberries?_

“Cara?” Kahlan said pleasantly surprised. “I’ll ask her,” the Confessor said looking in Cara’s direction.

The proud Mord’Sith was standing with a tilted hip looking at the horizon, one hand resting on the agiel at her waist. The blonde was quite since the day before. Kahlan hoped that all the things Cara said to her in that tomb would be acknowledged outside of it too, but not so surprisingly, on their way out of town Cara just shrugged it off, claiming that it was the lack of air making her delusional. The Confessor was equally amused and exasperated with this answer. She was certain Cara meant every word, after all the D’Haran woman always spoke what was on her mind, with no care for how her words affected others. But those words were never related to her feelings, and the fact that Cara said out loud that she considered her, _a Confessor_ , a _friend_ … That was something Kahlan never anticipated and somehow, she was longing to ear.

Things got off on a rocky start between the Confessor and the Mord’Sith, but after forcibly spending time together on the road, and especially after Stowcroft, when the Mother Confessor looked deep into the Mord’Sith’s eyes and saw the remorse in them, she started seeing the blonde in another light. She stopped seeing just a Mord’Sith to start seeing _Cara_ , the woman, her friend.

 _Friend_ …Cara was more than that; she was _always_ there to watch her back silently. In the middle of battle, despite the chaos surrounding her, she felt safe at all times. It was when Richard left to the Palace of Prophets and Zedd was kidnapped by Denna that Kahlan found herself in the midst of a battle and still felt like she was protected, that the feeling of safety was there, strong like all the other times. She realized then that Cara was the reason for that, the blonde was the one that transmitted her that sense of security. Could you call that just a simple friendship? Or was their connection stronger than that? She didn’t know, what she _did_ know is that their relationship was changing, they formed a bond that was stronger every day. Whatever it was, she was glad that they shifted from being Mother Confessor and Mord’Sith to being Kahlan and Cara. 

Kahlan approached Cara with some hesitation, the blonde looked deep in though. “Cara, thank you for the blackberries,” she smiled looking in the blonde’s eyes to emphasize her words. “I actually thought it was Richard, but he told me it wasn’t him so I assumed…”

“You assumed right,” Cara interrupted her. “It’s not like the wizard would let go of his food to do anything,” she said dryly, returning her gaze to the sea of trees visible from small hill where they were standing.

Kahlan chuckled. “You’re right, the first thing Zedd will do after waking up is eat, and nothing can interrupt that,” she looked back at the man in question who was still latching onto his food with gusto.

“Do you want some?” Kahlan asked after a second. 

“Excuse me?” Cara’s head snapped to look at Kahlan with eyes slightly widened and lips parted in anticipation of the answer. 

“Blackberries. Do you want some blackberries?” Kahlan asked again thrusting her hand full of blackberries towards the blonde. _That was strange, there’s definitely something bothering her._

“Oh, no, I’m not really hungry,” said Cara while her face turned to her normal stoic self. _Spirits, what is wrong with me? Why would she mean anything other than the stupid blackberries?_

“You should eat something before we leave, just one of the little ones?” the Mother Confessor selected one of the smaller blackberries and picked it up between her thumb and forefinger. She extended her hand Cara’s way and offered it to the blonde. The brunette looked at Cara with a playful smile and a glint of mirth in her eyes, waiting for the Mord’Sith’s reaction.

Cara glanced at Kahlan and saw that spark in the brunette’s eyes that made her chest constrict with that odd sensation. That kind of interaction between them was recent; if someone told Cara months ago that she would be trading witty comments instead of blows with a Confessor she would stick her agiel in the moron’s mouth for saying something so stupid. But now it was something that was becoming common and natural to her.

“You’re concerned about my diet? That’s why you’re sharing one of the smallest ones?” Cara asked, a hint of mischief in her tone. “I think you’re only sharing because of that misguided politeness of yours, but secretly hopping I don’t take any,” she continued teasingly with a smirk on her full lips.

“That is not true! I’m just looking out for you Cara,” was Kahlan’s come back feigning hurt by Cara’s accusation. Despite her fake offended look, the smile never left her face, it almost seemed that it shone brighter. 

Cara turned in her direction with her hands on her hips and arched her eyebrows looking disbelievingly at Kahlan.

“Alright, maybe I like them a little too much and want to eat them all,” Kahlan admitted, watching the smug look on the blonde’s face. “But the offer still stands, I don’t mind sharing with you,” Kahlan offered the blackblackberry to Cara again, laughing at the unconvinced look on the Mord’Sith’s face. 

Cara looked first at the tiny blackberry posing as a gift on the brunette’s fingers, then she looked at the Confessor, and without taking her eyes of Kahlan’s she leaned in and took the blackberry from the Mother Confessor’s fingers using her teeth and slightly resting her plump lips on Kahlan’s fingers.

“I guess blackberries are not that bad,” she commented slowly while chewing on the said blackberry, her intense gaze never leaving Kahlan. 

Kahlan blinked and felt her cheeks get warmer. _Why do I keep feeling this vertigo in my stomach every time she does something like this? She’s just being Cara, she can’t help herself and doesn’t really mean nothing by it. Right?_ Kahlan cleared her throat discreetly before replying.

“They’re very good. How did you know I liked them?” she asked, to dispel the small tension that Cara’s seemingly innocent act had created.

Cara noticed the Mother Confessor’s flushed cheeks and the way Kahlan’s gaze stayed on her lips, but chose not to bring it up.

“Before Zedd started to mistake my name and forget things, when he was going on and on about persimmons being the pinnacle of creation, you said you preferred blackberries,” Cara simply said, as if it was something that happened a couple of days ago.

“You remember I mentioned that?” Kahlan was surprised to say the least and it showed on her face, she looked at Cara with wide eyes and an expression of astonishment.

“The fact that I’m telling you this implies that I _do_ remember it,” Cara stated matter-of-factly. 

“Yes, it does,” Kahlan chuckled. “I just never thought you payed any attention to what I say,” she said quietly. _Most of the time she looks like she’s not even hearing half the things I say and then she notices details like these. You don’t cease to surprise Cara._ Kahlan thought with a private smile.

“You like to talk Kahlan, I have no choice but to listen,” Cara responded, trying to lighten the conversation and not make a big deal out of her tendency to commit to memory every single detail about the fascinating woman that was Kahlan Amnelll.

“Well, thank you for listening anyway and for these blackberries,” Kahlan thanked the blonde with a kind smile gracing her lips.

She understood Cara’s hint, the Mord’Sith didn’t like to talk about these kind of things, and she didn’t like to show she cared. But Kahlan could see it in every gesture, Cara said more through actions them through words, and that somehow made it even more meaningful.

Cara nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips and a warmth in her eyes that was making an appearance once in a while, when they had these conversations, just the two of them.

“Are you girls ready to go?” Richard called to them ending the moment.

Both girls looked back at him and Kahlan nodded, turning to walk back to camp, but not without glancing one more time at Cara with a meaningful smile.


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost sunset; they had been walking all day long with just a quick stop for the midday meal. During all that time, Kahlan was lost in thought, analyzing her relationship with Richard. Something was different. The fluttering of her heart when he would look at her and smile wasn’t there anymore. The daydreams about their life together, that were a constant on her mind, diminished considerably with time. The need she felt to be close to him, even if just walking alongside each other, wasn’t there anymore.

Kahlan looked to her left, a step behind her, and there was Cara. Now she often found herself seeking the blonde’s quiet company instead of Richard’s babbling one. Lately she liked to walk beside the Mord’Sith. It felt natural; felt right.

Kahlan was becoming increasingly aware that the love she felt towards Richard, that fairytale feeling, just wasn’t there lately. Richard is a good man. He is courageous and faithful to his beliefs. He loves her with all he has and is certain that they will be together forever… but Kahlan isn’t so sure anymore. That future doesn’t seem like a certainty. And that scared her. She was supposed to be in love with him, was supposed to marry him, make him her mate and have sweet children that will ensure the continuity of the line of Confessors. But her heart wasn’t in it like it used to be. She loved Richard… she just wasn’t _in love_ with him anymore.

“Are you ok?” she heard a deep and concerned voice from her left.

Kahlan blinked, shaking her head to disperse the worrying thoughts, and gave a weary smile to the blonde. “Yes, I was just thinking about some things,” she said.

Cara hesitated. Asking about another’s well-being wasn’t in her nature. She might ask about it after a fight to see if everyone was in one piece, but she never had any interest whatsoever in the emotional state of those around her. But when it came to Kahlan, her nature tended to shift into something new; not entirely different, but maybe a bit more… _protective_ ; making her do things that she would never think about doing if it was anyone else. So, it was with hesitation in her voice that she asked.

“Something I can help with?” she offered, never looking directly at Kahlan.

“Right now, I don’t think there’s anything you can do,” Kahlan told Cara, with a pensive expression that only left the blonde wondering about the thoughts spinning in the Mother Confessor’s mind. “Thanks for offering though, it means a lot to me that you’re concerned about me,” she touched the Mord’Sith’s forearm in a grateful gesture and the smile that appeared on her lips lit her entire face.

Cara felt exposed, noticing that her behavior with the Confessor was becoming more… _caring_? She was confused about what it could mean, so to avoid the awkwardness she felt, she did what she always did; what was in her nature. She shrugged off Kahlan’s hand, saying

“I just asked because you were unnerving me with your brooding,” she said flippantly, shrugging off Kahlan’s hand.

Exactly like she did after they got out of the tomb, Cara used her acerbic remarks to hide her insecurities about her feelings. But this time, she felt something else when she saw Kahlan’s slightly hurt look at her response…regret. _Spirits, here I go again,_ she thought with a sigh. 

“But if you need anything…” Cara trailed off, hoping Kahlan understood what she meant - that she would always be there, ready to do anything for Kahlan.

The Mother Confessor’s hurt look disappeared instantly and a wide grin painted her beautiful features.

“I know where to find you,” Kahlan said softly.

****

**********************

They stopped for the night and started to make camp. The place of choice was a fairly large space between the trees, at a reasonable distance from the road they were following. Richard busied himself making a fire, looking dejectedly at his grandfather after the wizard refused to light the stock of wood with his wizard’s fire.

“You don’t need magic to do a mundane task like that my boy, you’re perfectly capable of starting a fire on your own,” Zedd said, looking like he was lecturing his grandson. 

“And since I heard your use of magic fire to catch rabbits is disastrous,” Cara said, smirking at the wizard, “I’m off to hunt our dinner,” she picked up her bow and walked in the direction of the woods.

“Wait, I’ll go with you,” Kahlan said hurriedly and got up from her seat at a nearby rock, halting Cara’s steps.

“Yes, good idea, because rabbits are attracted to noise,” Cara sarcastically replied, turning around to pointedly stare at Kahlan. 

Zedd chuckled at that remark and Richard laughed while looking between the Mord’Sith and the Mother Confessor.

“I know how to walk through the woods and be perfectly quiet,” Kahlan said, with a serious look that showed her indignation at the Mord’Sith’s words. “Maybe you should learn a thing or two from me,” she finished with a smirk of victory.

“I don’t think so,” was Cara’s nonchalant reply, accompanied by a quick shake of her head.

“I’ll show you then,” the Mother Confessor said and walked past Cara into the woods. “What are you waiting for?” she asked over her shoulder.

“For you to trip on a root and hit your head on a rock, thus allowing me to hunt in peace,” Cara shot at the Mother Confessor with a tiny squint of her eyes and a wicked smirk.

“Oh, how nice of you,” Kahlan replied without missing a beat, wearing an unimpressed expression. “But that’s not going to happen, so let’s go.”

Cara just rolled her eyes and followed the Confessor into the woods, hearing Richard’s chuckle and Zedd’s snort behind her.

**********************

Cara found a rabbit’s trail and followed it until she was kneeling with a ready arrow, prepared to strike the unsuspecting white animal. Just as she was about to release the rabbit’s death sentence, she heard Kahlan whisper in her ear. 

“Do you have to kill it?” she wondered distractedly.

“Do you have to eat?” Cara inquired dryly without letting the arrow waver from its target.

Kahlan exhaled slowly in a resigned way, “It just looks so ador-“ she was cut off by the flying arrow striking the rabbit.

“It’s not its looks I’m interested in,” the Mord’Sith got up and went to skin the dead animal. 

“Of course you’re not, what was I thinking,” Kahlan stated, laughing to herself and watching the blonde work on the rabbit.

Kahlan noticed Cara positioning herself in a way that shielded the gory vision from her. _She’s doing that on purpose,_ the Mother Confessor noticed with a contemplative smile.

Kahlan let her thoughts wander once again. The Mord’Sith was doing almost unnoticeable things like that all the time. She wasn’t sure if Cara even noticed she was doing it, but Kahlan was noticing it more and more. Like the berries on her bedroll… simple things that she wouldn’t pay much attention to if they weren’t coming from a woman that didn’t make _any_ effort to please anyone.

Kahlan was so distracted with her musings that she didn’t detect the two brilliant eyes looking menacingly at her. She was still crouched at the spot from where Cara had shot the rabbit, and before she knew what was happening, Kahlan felt an agonizing pain on her right inner thigh. She screamed in pain and looked down to see a horrendous snake latched on her flesh.

Her sharp instincts lead her hand to the scabbard in her boot, in order to retrieve the dagger resting there. But when she was just about to pull out the blade, a scream sounded, more like a high-pitched hum, and she felt the snake’s teeth sink deeper for a brief moment, before the beast went slack.

Kahlan was sprawled on the leaf-covered ground. She lifted her gaze to see Cara grab the snake’s head with one hand, the other still holding her agiel firmly. The Mord’Sith hurriedly tossed the reptile aside and put pressure on Kahlan’s thigh, above the wound.

The Mother Confessor was still in shock from the intense pain, but she recovered to some extent after meeting Cara’s determined green eyes.

“The kind of snake is poisonous, I have to suck the venom from your leg before it spreads,” the blonde was looking at her with an inquisitive expression, as if she was asking her permission to do something.

At the lack of response from the Confessor, Cara gave an exasperated sigh and lowered herself onto Kahlan’s leg. Seeing this, Kahlan came out of her stupor.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice coming out in a somewhat shameful yelp as she placed a hand on the blonde’s shoulder to halt her advances.

“I’m saving your life, or at least I’m trying,” the Mord’Sith said hastily. “ _Kahlan_ ,” she continued in a more moderate tone but looking straight in the Confessor’s eyes to convey the importance of her words, “I know you’re probably a little uncomfortable with the situation, because I’m about to place my mouth on that gash and I’ll suck, _hard_ , in order to pull the snake poison out of your blood stream,” she explained. “The thing is, I don’t care if you’re uncomfortable because my first priority is to save your life,” Cara matter-of-factly informed the Confessor.

Watching comprehension down on Kahlan’s face, Cara continued in a brisk voice, “ _So_ , if you would be so kind as to spread your legs a little to make room for me to work, I’ll start,” she required, pursing her lips together and tilting her head, her eyes boring into Kahlan’s with an unwavering stare.

Kahlan just nodded her head and made room for the blonde between her legs. Cara shielded her agiel and helped Kahlan to roll her right leg outside to facilitate her access to the injury. While she knelt between the Mother Confessor’s legs, she looked one more time to the brunette’s blue eyes, to make sure she was okay, and rested her elbows on the hard ground while her hands went to Kahlan’s smooth thigh for support. She studied the puncture marks and then carefully surrounded the wound with her full pink lips and sucked the venom into her mouth with every bit of strength she had.

Kahlan felt a jolt that had nothing to do with pain, the moment Cara’s lips touched her. When she felt the blonde’s hot mouth on her sensitive skin, a foreign warmth traveled directly to her center and she felt herself shudder at the same time as her chest tightened. Kahlan opened her lips to let a gasp escape. Reflexively, she put her right hand on the nape of Cara’s neck and squeezed a little. Kahlan was aware of the pain caused by Cara’s actions, but for some reason that sensation went to the back of her mind.

The image of Cara with one hand beneath her thigh, holding it, and the other hand resting above the wound, was enticing to Kahlan in a way she didn’t understand. Her haze was broken by Cara.

The Mord’Sith raised her head and spat the venom on the ground quickly, avoiding contact with it longer than necessary. Her green eyes were somewhat unfocused when she glanced at Kahlan, and her voice came out shakier than she expected.

“Hang on, I have to repeat it to make sure it’s all out,” she said.

“Okay,” Kahlan responded with a trembling but trusting voice.

Cara replicated her previous actions and once again brought her mouth to the pale thigh of the Mother Confessor, drawing out what was left of the poison and spitting the toxic liquid on the ground.

Cara swept the smear of blood that lingered on her lips with the back of her red-gloved right hand. She didn’t let go of the hold she had on Kahlan’s leg as she addressed the Confessor.

“I’m pretty sure there’s nothing left of it, but Zedd should take a look and heal the cuts,” her voice was a little steadier now, but barely. The Mord’Sith was avoiding Kahlan’s eyes, but she squeezed her traveling companion’s leg to reassure her that she would be fine.

Kahlan opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Richard emerging suddenly from between the trees, looking frantically around. When he'd heard the scream, he had immediately recognized it as belonging to Kahlan, and with just one glance at Zedd he had taken off in the sound’s direction. The wizard had chosen to stay behind and look out for any sign of trouble. “Go on my boy, my bones don’t allow me to go gallivanting through the woods,” he'd said to himself, watching Richard vanish in the shadows. 

“Kahlan! Are you ok? What happened?” he asked anxiously, looking from Kahlan, to Cara, to the wound on Kahlan’s leg.

Before Kahlan could respond Richard heard Cara’s distressed voice.

“A _damn_ snake… I didn’t see it earlier…” she said through her teeth, staring intensely at Kahlan’s twin cuts.

“What happened to the snake?” the Seeker asked.

“I killed it with my agiel, _obviously_ ,” Cara said fiercely as if any other option was impossible. “I tossed it there,” she added with a nod of her head in the lifeless animal’s direction.

Richard crossed the distance to the snake and examined it. “It’s poisonous. We need to suck the poison from the wound,” he said, retreating back to the two women’s side. “Zedd is back at the camp, he should be able to heal the cuts after,” he said resolutely.

“Cara already took care of it,” Kahlan finally spoke. “She sucked the poison out; it’s just a cut now,” the Confessor said, smiling up at Cara and noticing the concerned look that was still shadowing Cara’s eyes she attempted to sound cheerful as she said, “I’ll be fine. Just one more battle scar,” she chuckled, seeing that Cara was not as amused as she had anticipated.

“A scar that could have been avoided,” Cara snapped heatedly. “Didn’t you see the snake, Kahlan?” she asked with her brow furrowed. 

“I was distracted, and think about it… it was an opportunity for you to save my life and boast about it later,” she joked, trying to ease the situation.

Cara was really bothered by the whole thing and that in some way warmed Kahlan, made her see that the Mord’Sith cared for her, or else she wouldn’t be so mad.

“You’ve been distracted a lot lately,” Cara stated thoughtfully while she bit her inner cheek, completely ignoring Kahlan’s teasing comments.

Richard remained silent while he watched them, he could see Cara was worried and, similarly to Kahlan, tried to assure the Mord’Sith that she did everything she could.

“It’s easy to miss a snake, they’re really quiet. But you did the right thing Cara, taking the poison out.” he commended. “Now all that's left to do is bandage it and let Zedd do his magic,” he grinned and nodded confidently at the two women.

Richard ripped a shred of his shirt and wrapped it around the cut on Kahlan’s leg with utmost care. The Seeker helped Kahlan get up, putting one arm around her waist to steady her and help her back to camp. Cara turned around from them and went to retrieve the rabbit she killed. She followed the pair closely behind, looking out for anymore nasty animals that would dare cross her path.

**********************

When they arrived back at camp, they found Zedd with a worried look on his face. The wizard took notice of the state of Kahlan’s leg and immediately went about repairing it while hearing Richard explain what had happened. Cara was standing nearby, watching Zedd’s work intently.

The pot was already on the fire, courtesy of Zedd, and after taking care of Kahlan’s wound he picked up the rabbit Cara gave him to continue cooking.

Kahlan joined the wizard and helped him with the food, while Richard and Cara looked at the map and discussed routes. Each of them sat by the fire to enjoy dinner, once it was ready. They mostly ate in silence, with Richard sharing some trivial thing here and there. But when they were finished, Kahlan noticed that Zedd was unusually quiet. Not that the wizard talked much when food was present, but he had an odd look on his face.

“Is something wrong Zedd?” Kahlan eventually asked the wizard. “You look concerned about something.” she noted.

Zedd sighed and looked over her shoulder at the extensive forest.

“Something magical happened nearby, maybe a day ago,” he looked back at three interested pairs of eyes.

“Is it bad?” Kahlan asked worriedly.

“I don’t know my child, I don’t know,” he shook his head from side to side with a somber look on his aged features.

“But was it some kind of spell you recognize?” Richard insisted, looking apprehensively around and then back to his grandfather.

“Not anything specific, I can only sense that it was powerful magic.” He shrugged helplessly. “I don’t detect any trace of the spell caster so maybe the magic came from an amulet or something of the sorts,” he shared his hypothesis with the others. “Or maybe the spell caster knows how to cover their tracks,” he also considered.

“Well, someone clumsy was over here,” Cara brought the other’s attention to a spot a little over the tree line. “The grass here is all trampled and there are a lot of twigs broken. Looks like our mysterious magic wielder went that way,” she pointed in the direction of the broken branches.

“Whoever it is, is tall… the forest here is thick. Notice the height of the broken branches - it’s a foot higher than my head,” Richard said, standing next to the first tree that had been damaged by the person who'd passed by it.

“There are more footprints over there,” Cara told Richard, pointing ahead of them. The other three examined the trail Cara discovered.

****

“Looks like the person stopped here,” Kahlan concluded after noticing the trampled area between the trails of footprints.

The four of them analyzed the surroundings and Richard summarized, “Someone came through there,” he said pointing in the direction of the footprints found by Cara, “Then something happened here. Maybe this is where they stopped to do the spell. And then they took off in the opposite direction,” he finished his assessment with a furrowed brow.

“This open area is where the magic is more significantly present,” Zedd said, with his hands stretched out trying to read the residual magical energy.

“So what? A wizard came in here, casted some magic, got burned, rolled in the dirt to put out the fire and ran away?” Cara said offhandedly, one hand on her canted hip and she gestured around with the other.

****

Kahlan snickered at this.

Richard sighed and rolled his eyes. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but it looks like there was more than one. There are a lot of footprints,” he said thoughtfully. “Different sizes too,” he said, pointing to the first trail. “And here they’re all over. I can distinguish them,” he stated, assessing the open area. “Then they’re mixed together. Looks like they were running one behind the other," he finished, raising his head to look at his companions.

“Well it seems they are headed in the same direction we are,” Kahlan pointed out, observing the path of the trail left by the mysterious people.

“Maybe they are headed to the next town, it's just a few leagues from here. If we leave by first light we can be there by midday,” Richard informed them.

“All the better, we’ll be in town in time for lunch,” Zedd stated with a delighted smile, already imagining the culinary delights the inn would serve.

“Of course wizard, first things first,” the Mord’Sith said mockingly, looking sideways at Zedd while she passed him on her way to camp. 

“I knew you would come to understand things from my point of view someday, Cara,” Zedd said smiling, fully aware of Cara’s jab but opting to retaliate with Cara’s own weapon… sarcasm.

Cara stopped to look back at the wizard’s grinning face. She raised one eyebrow and sucked in her cheeks letting a tiny piece of amusement show. “I’ll take first watch,” she said, rotating on her heels. The others followed the Mord’Sith, away from the tree line. 

“You can play more tomorrow children, let’s have some rest now,” Kahlan said, laughing at both of them. Zedd chuckled good- naturedly and agreed with the Mother Confessor’s suggestion.

The Mord’Sith turned and said, “What do you mean ch-“

“By children I mean stop bickering like ones and go to sleep,” Kahlan said smugly, having guessed what Cara was going to ask. _It’s a rare occasion,_ _but in these things she’s so predictable_ , Kahlan thought, smiling contentedly to herself.

“I have first watch, remember?” Cara declared triumphantly, lifting her chin proudly. “ _You_ sleep,” she said petulantly, pointing one finger in Kahlan’s direction for good measure, then turning around and taking her post in a state of alert that would make it next to impossible for someone to pass by her.

“Creator forbid she didn’t have the last word,” Kahlan whispered, making Richard snort amusedly.

“How is your leg? Do you feel better?” Richard asked her with a gaze filled with concern, fueled by love.

Kahlan looked into his warm brown eyes and her joyful mood crashed down when she remembered what she had been contemplating earlier. She couldn’t return that look to him anymore; not as passionately as she used to.

“Kahlan, are you okay?” the Seeker inquired after noticing the spaced-out look on Kahlan’s face. “You must be exhausted. You should rest,” he said, grabbing her hand and caressing her knuckles in a comforting manner.

“No, I’m fine. I just remembered that I forgot to thank Cara for helping me,” she smiled affectionately at Richard and put a hand on his shoulder before she turned and walked to Cara, extracting her hand from his in the process.

Richard looked suspiciously at Kahlan’s back. Something was bothering the young Mother Confessor, and he wouldn’t rest until he found out what it was. He was the Seeker of Truth, after all.

**********************

Cara was standing tall in front of the moonlight-illuminated forest. She sensed approaching steps, and taking into account their lightness, it was definitely Kahlan. The Mother Confessor came to a stop right behind her, clearly waiting for the blonde to turn around and acknowledge her.

“You’re distracting me from my duties, Confessor,” Cara said without flinching, left hand on her agiel, never taking her keen eyes off of the almost total darkness ahead.

“Thank you,” Kahlan said simply but earnestly.

“For what?” Cara asked, keeping her face expressionless.

****

“Saving my life…” Kahlan softly said. “…Again,” she added with a smile.

“You don’t have to thank me, Mother Confessor, you didn’t ask for anything,” the Mord’Sith stated, swallowing the sudden small lump that made itself present in her throat.

This time Kahlan was having none of it and she decided to confront the stubborn woman. “You didn’t leave me time to do it, you were by my side a second after I felt the snake bite,” Kahlan said, proving with the Mord’Sith’s own actions that the blonde deserved her thanks, and that those actions showed that Cara cared more about Kahlan than she admitted to.

When Cara remained stoic, Kahlan did something she had never done before, but as she was about to do it, she noticed that it felt almost natural. Impulsively, she put her right hand on Cara’s left shoulder and leaned in, kissing the blonde’s cheek tenderly.

Kahlan let her very lightly parted lips rest an extra second on Cara’s satin-like cheek. It was a simple kiss, but at the same time it conveyed the great appreciation Kahlan had for Cara. It conveyed a strange kind of intimacy and understanding she'd never shared with anyone else in her life.

To her surprise, though Cara tensed up, she didn’t pull away. She didn't acknowledge her either, but she didn’t jump back.

Kahlan licked her lips, confused with what she'd felt when her lips touched Cara’s face. She let the hand glide down the blonde’s arm until she squeezed her forearm, noticing that Cara was grabbing her agiel more securely.

“Good night, Cara," she whispered.

For some reason it didn’t feel right to raise her voice above a whisper. She turned around and left in the fire’s direction, to the place where Richard had already unfolded her bedroll.

After she was sure that the brunette couldn’t hear it, Cara let out the breath she was holding.

“Sleep well, Kahlan.” Cara whispered quietly into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time they arrived in town it was indeed midday. The sun was at its highest point and the heat was coming down on them without mercy. The town looked like any other. It was small, with a rudimentary wall that served not so much for protection but rather to mark the town’s limits.

They were spotted near the gate by a man that looked more like a boy, given his skinny appearance. The man immediately recognized the sword of truth and walked towards them.

“You are the Seeker, right?” the skinny young man asked Richard with a hopeful look.

“Yes, I am,” Richard confirmed, clasping the man’s forearm in greeting.

“Praise the Creator, she sent you this way,” The man said raising his hands to the sky in a thankful gesture.

“Why do you say that?” Kahlan asked, noticing Cara roll her eyes next to her.

“A group of slave dealers made camp a league outside of town, Mother Confessor,” he said to Kahlan, slightly bowing his head in a sign of respect for the highest authority of the Midlands. “They came in here for supplies, but we are scared that they will take some of us,” the man informed them.

“But they didn’t cause any trouble up until now?” Zedd questioned.

“Well… bar fights,” the man said cringing. “They go to the inn and drink a lot, and then start picking fights with everyone.”

“Why don’t you kick them out?” Cara asked, stunned that a bar fight was a problem for this people. 

“We are no fighters. We are peaceful farmers. No one wants to risk getting on the sharp end of their swords,” the man said looking down somewhat shamefully; a little apprehensive at Cara’s Mord’Sith leathers and agiels that were proudly displayed at her waist.

“You don’t have to be ashamed of that,” Kahlan reassured kindly, noticing Cara look at her with wide eyes as if the brunette was insane. “I’m sure the Seeker will find a way to help you,” Kahlan continued smiling at Richard.

“We’ll look around and see what we can do,” Richard promised the man. “But you would certainly beneficiate if you had people to protect your home,” he said furrowing his brow, already thinking how he could help them.

Richard could accept this people’s reluctance to pick up a weapon, but he knew that when there was a threat to what you cherished the most you had to fight and protect it with everything you had.

“Thank you, Seeker,” the man beamed at Richard, “how can we repay your kindness?” he asked, trying to express his gratitude.

“For a start you could tell us your name and were the inn is.” Zedd told him. “It’s about time for lunch and we have been walking for hours without stopping,” Zedd said with a grin, surrounding the man’s shoulders with his arm to put him at ease. 

Richard and Kahlan chuckled at the expected question from the wizard. Cara just sighted and shook her head in resignation.

“My name is Alec, wizard Zorander,” he said, then pointed to his right saying, “The inn is that way, I’ll take you all there,” Alec offered, starting to walk in the direction he pointed.

Richard followed them a step behind, smiling fondly at his grandfather’s always present appetite.

The two women were a few steps behind. Cara approached Kahlan and inquired curiously, “Why did you lie?” she tilted her head waiting for the Confessor’s explanation.

“What do you mean? I didn’t lie,” Kahlan said confused with the blonde’s question.

“Yes, you did,” Cara confirmed curtly. “You told that scrawny man he shouldn’t be ashamed for not being able to defend himself and his people. That’s a lie if I ever heard one,” the blonde told Kahlan unapologetically.

Kahlan sighed, but if she was honest with herself that was an observation she was expecting from the Mord’Sith. _This is going to be a hard one to explain_ , Kahlan thought keeping in mind Cara’s beliefs concerning the uses of violence. The blonde would never comprehend, least of all agree, with these people’s way of thinking when it came to violence. But the Confessor was going to give a try.

“Cara,” she began already knowing that whatever she said wasn’t going to make a difference, “These people are not used to fighting, they don’t carry weapons around with them. They are used to taking care of animals and farming. They have a peaceful way of living.” she explained, looking to Cara’s face and seeing the Mord’Sith trying to understand what she was saying… and failing, as predicted.

“They spend their days taking care of all that and then someone comes along stabs them in the gut and steels all that they have created and they do absolutely nothing? It doesn’t make any sense,” Cara shrugged, her eyes wide in bewilderment.

“I have to agree with you there,” Kahlan said smiling reluctantly, finding Cara’s flabbergasted expression very amusing.

“Of course you have, I’m right,” Cara said as if Kahlan had just said the sky was blue. 

“But Cara, bloody confrontations are not common in these people lives. They don’t have it in them to react violently towards another as a first reaction,” Kahlan tried to explain these people’s reluctance to pick up a weapon and injure someone.

“Everyone has it in them, Mother Confessor,” Cara said looking pointedly at Kahlan’s boots were she concealed her daggers, as if to prove to the Mother Confessor that even the moral beacon of the Midlands used violence on a daily basis for defense, “We are all violent creatures,” she stated, looking directly in the Confessor’s eyes.

Kahlan’s gaze never wavered from Cara’s when she replied with as much intensity as the Mord’Sith, “Yes, but even creatures who know nothing but violence for the most part of their lives, are capable of doing noble and beautiful things if given the chance,” she said intently, knowing that Cara would understand that she was referring to her.

Cara blinked and averted her gaze to the ground, avoiding Kahlan satisfied grin and knowing look in her direction. The Mord’Sith knew Kahlan was talking about her. That made her a little disconcerted. And the Confessor was right in a way, she did help people. But that was because she was doing what Lord Rahl ordered her to, or in Richard’s way… _asked_ her to. She would never deviate from her violent path if the choice was hers alone, or would she? Truth be told, she probably would swerve a little. And she already had found herself doing it in some occasions. Like when she refrained from killing Thadicus to buy her another day on the land of the living when she was a baneling.

“I guess humans are confusing,” Cara offered dismissively, with a disinterested expression.

She hoped Kahlan didn’t notice that she had succeeded in throwing the her off balance. But catching the pleased glint in the brunette’s eyes, Cara suspected that was not the case. 

“ _Complex_ Cara… Humans are _very complex_ beings,” Kahlan corrected kindly.

Cara just nodded her head in agreement this time.

********************

In the inn they were received with cheers from the town’s people, it looked like everyone wanted to shake the Seeker’s hand. The owner of the inn served lamb and wine bountifully to the four of them.

While they ate and talked to the animated people, Cara noticed two men next to the counter looking fixedly at them. Judging by the swords they had at their waists, they must be with the slave dealers. When Cara returned their stares boldly the two burly men turned away from them.

Richard noticed this and asked Alec, “Those two,” he said nodding his head in the counter’s direction. “Are they with the slave dealers?”

“Yes,” Alec responded, “The taller one is the leader’s son,” he said referring to a muscular young man, with dark hair and darker eyes.

“He’s holding onto his sword like someone is going to take it from him,” Cara said, raising one eyebrow and not taking her eyes of the two.

“He probably recognized the Seeker and is worried with what his presence here means to his business,” Zedd said calmly.

“Do you think they have something to do with the magic you sensed in the woods?” Kahlan asked Zedd quietly.

“I don’t know, but we can’t rule that out,” Zedd replied, focusing his attention back on the succulent lamb on his plate.

“We should ask around to see if anyone knows anything about a wizard?” Kahlan shifted her attention to Richard.

“You and Cara should talk to the people here in town,” Richard agreed. “Me and Zedd will go check the town’s limits, see if Zedd can sense any other magic nearby. And take a look at the slave dealer’s camp,” he said looking to the wizard for confirmation, which he gave in the form of a nod.

*******************

After the satisfying meal, Richard and Zedd went with Alec to investigate. Kahlan and Cara took off in the opposite direction to talk with the town’s folk and try to find out any useful information.

The women asked around if anyone had seen a wizard or sorceress in town, with Kahlan doing most of the talking while Cara just shot a blunt but pertinent question once on a while. But all the answers they got were negative. One old woman advised then to ask the town’s healer. He was known to practice some minor magic, so he may be aware of something that the rest of them would not notice.

It was obvious that this people were fearful of Cara, judging by the apprehensive looks they shot at her. The Mord’Sith’s red leather and agiels were recognized everywhere, and the brunette knew her presence next to Cara was as much as comforting as it was confusing for the majority of people they encountered. On their way to the healer’s cabin she shared her thoughts with the blonde.

“These people are afraid of you,” the Confessor told Cara, smiling to herself at the notion that the proud Mord’Sith would probably take this as a compliment. “Maybe you should try to put them more at ease when we speak with them. I’m sure it would make them more forthcoming with information,” she suggested to the blonde, despite her guess at what Cara’s response to this would be.

“They are and they should. I’m not exactly a puppy.” Cara said, looking at Kahlan incredulously.

At this Kahlan just raised her brow and smiled in amusement. _Looks like I guessed right,_ Kahlan thought.

“What do you want me to do? _Smile_?” Cara continued mockingly.

The Mord’Sith obviously noticed people’s reaction to her. She always enjoyed that kind of response, and definitely knew how to use that in her advantage. But since she joined Richard and his quest, she started learning another ways to get information out of people; mostly because Kahlan encouraged her to. And Cara had to admit, the Mother Confessor was a master when it came to the use of words. She would make a brilliant leader to the Midlands when they defeated the Keeper.

“That would be a start,” Kahlan chuckled.

Apparently, Cara was not as insulted by her suggestion as she was expecting; this just showed once again that the blonde was slowly changing her way of dealing with people and situations. “You do have a beautiful smile,” Kahlan said, intending it to be just an observation but it came out more as a heartfelt compliment.

Cara slowed her pace and turned her head to Kahlan. She looked intensely at the brunette for a moment. The Confessor could swear that in that instant, with the way Cara’s astounding green eyes were boring into her own bright blue ones, the dazzling blonde woman could see her very soul. But after what looked like hours but was really a few seconds, Cara’s intense expression transformed into one of her infamous smirks.

“How about now? Do I look friendlier?” she asked, a full smirk on her lips. She also had playful glint in her brilliant eyes that only enhanced the sudden tenderness mixed with mischievousness radiating from them. 

“You look awfully predatory,” Kahlan let out a deep laugh.

The Confessor couldn’t take her eyes off the blonde’s face. The way Cara was looking at her, with something mysterious behind that rare playfulness, made her feel calm and nervous at the same time. She didn’t know what to make of it exactly, but she was sure that Cara was the only one that provoked this reaction in her.

“What’s so wrong with scaring people anyway?” Cara asked with a shrug and returned her gaze to the path ahead, privately enjoying the fact that she made Kahlan laugh. “In my experience they talk quite nicely in that state,” Despite all the new less violent techniques she observed from Kahlan, Richard and Zedd, she was still convinced hers were better.

“I’m sure your methods are very effective, but let’s try another approach here, it may work too,” Kahlan said in a mock pondering voice, tilting her head to the side in a contemplative manner. 

“As you wish, Mother Confessor,” Cara drawled and sighed exaggeratedly making Kahlan chuckle. 

They took a few more steps in silence and then Kahlan noticed something, “Why are you walking half a step behind me?” she asked furrowing her brow.

“Don’t go getting any ideas Mother Confessor, I’m not showing devotion to you,” Cara said mischievously, glancing sideways at the brunette.

“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” Kahlan said, “But I can’t help but notice that you are doing it on purpose,” she insisted, fishing for an answer.

“I prefer to see your back,” Cara said nonchalantly.

“What’s wrong with my front?” Kahlan asked with feigned innocence.

She was aware that the blonde was most likely talking about her security, but she couldn’t help the tiny provocation at the Mord’Sith.

“It’s dangerous,” Cara said lowering her voice and raising one impish eyebrow. She maintained her expression totally serious and fixed Kahlan with her gaze, waiting for her reaction. _Two can play this game, Confessor_. When Kahlan started to blush, Cara continued, “The whole town it’s dangerous, slave dealers are not to be trusted. I prefer to have you on my line of sight at all times,” Cara finished, seeing Kahlan fidget a little with her sleeves.

The Confessor was already expecting a response like that. What she wasn’t expecting was the shiver that went through her body when she heard Cara’s low voice. But not wanting Cara to know the effect such a simple thing had on her, especially when she didn’t know the meaning of it, she tried to get the upper hand.

“Are you trying to take care of me Cara?” Kahlan managed to say cheekily, turning her head slightly Cara’s way.

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m merely doing my job.” The Mord’Sith stated hurriedly. “I’m protecting you as Richard asked me too,” Cara said, suddenly feeling exposed for some reason.

She looked quickly around just to be sure there was no imminent danger that made her feel that way. Unfortunately for her, she realized, the uncanny feeling seemed to be motivated by Kahlan’s words.

Cara’s remark put a damp on Kahlan’s mood, “Oh. So you’re just doing it because Richard asked you to,” Kahlan’s said in a quiet voice, looking at the ground.

“You don’t really need it, you are a great fighter,” Cara said, thinking that the Mother Confessor might be offended to be treated like a damsel in distress, as Richard seemed to treat her sometimes.

The Mord’Sith knows she would be, she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And Kahlan was a strong and independent woman; she didn’t need a man to protect her that’s for sure. But Cara sometimes thought that Richard almost wished Kahlan would need him more. He liked to be the hero and wanted to show her that he was perfectly capable of taking care of her. The thing is Kahlan didn’t need his help, if anything _he_ needed her help. 

“Thank you,” Kahlan said quietly, never lifting her gaze.

That was a huge compliment coming from Cara, but for some reason that was not the answer she wanted. She had no idea what she wanted either, but her good spirits deflated somehow when Cara mentioned that she just protected her out of obligation.

Seeing the brunette’s still down casted look, Cara mumbled something that the Confessor didn’t quite catch.

“What was that?” Kahlan asked.

“I said, I also do it because I want to,” Cara said hastily in a terse voice, “There,” she said nodding curtly.

She didn’t like to say these things, the words sounded foreign. But Kahlan had the talent of making her say them.

“Just so you know… The feeling is mutual.” Kahlan leaned in, whispering to the blonde. 

“I don’t need anyone’s protection,” Cara said proudly.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Kahlan said mysteriously and Cara looked shockingly at her, “Zedd may want to put you in a dress again, you might need me to protect you from his evil schemes,” the Confessor snickered as Cara just looked appalled.

“If I remember correctly Mother Confessor, _and I do_ , the reason I got into the dress in the first place was to save _you_ ,” Cara said with a raised brow, “So from where I stand you are not my savior, you are the reason why I get into uncomfortable situations,” she stated smirking, proud of her logic.

Kahlan scoffed, “I’m sorry,” Kahlan said sarcastically, “Next time I get kidnapped I’ll try to make it a comfortable experience for _you_ ,” she said with a tilt of her head.

She tried to keep her mock serious face, but one look at Cara’s nodding head, as if to say ‘ _as you should’_ , had her laughing again. 

“Well at least I made you laugh,” Cara said, a barely there smile present on her lips, “you’re not doing that so much lately,” she observed.

“No, but you pull it out of me,” Kahlan said smiling. _Lately_ _you always seem to know how to make me happy, Cara_.


	4. Chapter 4

Zedd and Richard were sitting at a table back at the inn. The town was not big, by mid afternoon they had finished their search for magic around the town’s limits. They also passed by the slave dealers’ camp, but didn’t find anything that would make them suspect they were holding someone against their will.

“Are you sure you didn’t sense anything unusual, Zedd?” Richard asked his grandfather, while the man was snacking on a plate of figs.

“Are you questioning my magical abilities, my boy?” Zedd asked offended, “I may be old, but that’s part of why I’m so wise,” he said affronted. “And I am a Wizard of the First Order, so I would sense any magic disturbance close to me.” 

“No, I’m not doubting you,” Richard assured. “I just though that we would have found something.”

“Maybe Kahlan and Cara found something,” Zedd responded.

“Don’t count on it, wizard,” Cara said, seeming to appear from nowhere behind the two men.

Richard just turned around but Zedd was startled and choke on a fig. After Richard’s slaps on his back and Kahlan providing a glass of water for him, he looked at Cara irritably and said, “You almost killed me young woman,” he complained with a strangled voice.

Cara snorted and said dryly, “Maybe if you learnt how to chew your food, instead of wolfing it down as if it was the last in the world, you wouldn’t endanger your life,” she sat down at the table in front of the men and stretched her legs on a stool by her side, leaning her back on the chair.

Zedd just frowned at her and tried to calm his coughing fit.

“She has a point Zedd,” Richard said, nodding his head in agreement and looking at the wizard with a teasing smile.

Zedd raised an eyebrow at his grandson and then turned his attention to the women, “How about you two _lovely ladies_ ,” he stressed looking pointedly at Cara, “tell us what you found out.”

Cara huffed and rolled her eyes at Zedd’s remark, obviously aimed at taunting her. Before she had a chance to open her mouth though, she felt a gentle pressure on her left shoulder. She looked up and Kahlan was standing behind her, with her right hand gently squeezing her shoulder. The Confessor opened her mouth to talk, but not before shooting an amused warning glance at Cara. The Mord’Sith abstained herself from retorting to Zedd, but not from glaring at him. 

“We didn’t find anything from the residents. A woman advised us to go talk to the healer, because of his practice with magic,” Kahlan informed them, with her hand still resting on Cara’s shoulder.

She was surprised the blonde had actually shut up a not continued bickering with Zedd. Kahlan didn’t even think about it; when she realized what she was doing her hand was already making a home on the blonde’s shoulder. Her gesture was instinctive, and Cara’s reaction to it felt to her like she was touching a wild cat – a dangerous but hypnotizing experience.

Richard noticed this interaction between the two beautiful women and was stunned by Cara’s reaction. That’s what caught his attention. He had never seen the Mord’Sith acquiesce to no one besides him, and that was only because she kept insisting he was the Lord Rahl. The blonde obviously had something more to say to Zedd, and at one touch from Kahlan she let it go. Not mentioning that she did let the Confessor touch her without flinching. _She’s letting Kahlan in. Despite all the obstacles they are forming a strong bond of friendship_. Richard thought, glad that they managed to overcome their differences. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind when he looked at them, but he chose to ignore it. Whatever it was it could only be good, right?

Zedd looked between the three of them and cleared his throat. “So what did the healer tell you?” he asked Kahlan.

“Unfortunately, nothing useful,” the Mother Confessor sighed, “he said he didn’t sense any spell casting nearby, neither did he sense anyone with magic powers inside the town before we arrived,” she said, finally sitting down next to Cara. While she lowered herself on the chair, she let her hand glide down Cara’s upper arm, resting it on the table top. The Mord’Sith had her gaze glued to the table, but she gave no indication of discomfort. She just seemed distracted. 

“Do you have something on your mind, Cara?” Richard inquired, getting the blonde’s attention. She looked like she was thinking hard about something. Almost every time, that meant she was going to say something no one though about. 

“Nothing important to the matter at hand,” Cara said, snapping her head up to look at the Seeker. “It looks like we lost the trail of our magical friend,” she said what the four of them were thinking.

Truth be told she got to that conclusion fairly quickly. What got her really thinking was the warmth of Kahlan’s hand as it filtered through her leathers. The gentle weight and the calming effect it had on her. She knew what submission was, but she knew it at the end of an agiel. This was completely different. She did what Kahlan silently asked her to do, and that left a pleasurable feeling inside of her. She felt like she didn’t do it just because she wanted to please Kahlan, though that was part of it, but because she trusted the other woman’s judgment. She trusted that what Kahlan was asking her was the right thing to do despite her instincts guiding her tongue to deliver a snarky remark to Zedd. And the Mord’Sith trusted no one. Obey, yes… Trust, _never_. And that difference was what was unsettling her.

“Yes, it looks like it,” Zedd said disappointed, “But what I felt in the forest was unquestionably powerful magic, we should be careful. Someone having or handling that much power can’t be good,” he said pensively.

“You’re right Zedd,” Richard said. “If there’s someone out there with access to that kind of power we have to be careful and try to find out on which side they’re in.”

“Right now we don’t have much to go by,” Kahlan interjected, “What about the slave dealers?” she asked Richard.

“Alec showed us where the camp is. It didn’t look like they were holding anyone prisoners. There was only one tent that looked like it was the leader’s quarters.” Richard said, shrugging his shoulders, “If they had a lot of prisoners they would have to have some kind of cage.”

“If you want to help these people, Richard,” Cara said looking around the inn, “You should tell them to pick up a weapon and fight back when it’s needed,” she could not understand what the big deal was. If you get attacked you fight back, simple.

“I’ll have to do more than tell them,” Richard said pursing his lips. “I’ll have to show them. Want to help me?” he asked, looking at Cara.

The Mord’Sith’s face lit up immediately, “Now _there’s_ something I can do,” she said grinning widely. “It’s so much better than _talking_ and _smiling_ ,” she said, looking with mock sweetness at Kahlan.

The Mother Confessor rolled her eyes and shook her head, amused at the blonde’s words. She fixed Cara with a sideways glance, “Just try not to hurt anybody. Leave them capable of using the skills they learn,” she said smirking, watching as Cara got up from her seat.

“Be honest, Mother Confessor,” Cara said, while she stopped behind Kahlan, then she leaned close to the Confessor’s ear and whispered, “You agree with me,” she didn’t wait for Kahlan’s reaction and walked outside.

Kahlan’s heart beat picked up and her cheeks flushed when she felt Cara’s breath on her ear. The deep tone on the blonde’s voice made Kahlan forget about the rest of the inn for a second. She was brought back by Richard’s voice.

“Are you okay Kahlan?” The Seeker asked noticing Kahlan’s flushed cheeks.

“Of course,” she said dismissively, “You know Cara, always trying to mess with us,” she said with a raised brow, getting up to go outside. Zedd following her lead.

“I do know,” Richard said laughing, “but you have to tell me the secret for silencing Cara,” Richard told Kahlan playfully.

“There’s no secret, I think it’s just luck,” Kahlan chuckled thinking about how stubborn the Mord’Sith was. 

“I don’t think so,” Richard shook his head. “It seems to me that you are learning the intricacies of the Mord’Sith and playing them to your favor,” he said, winking playfully at her. 

Kahlan recognized his playful mood, but regardless of it she answered him seriously, “I’m not playing at anything Richard, I’m just looking at Cara and seeing the different layers, not just what’s on the surface,” she smiled at him.

“I thought you couldn’t read a Mord’Sith,” Richard stated grinning. He understood what Kahlan meant, and he had to admit that if anyone could attempt such a thing, it was Kahlan Amnel.

“And I can’t,” she confirmed, “but I can listen to Cara... _carefully_. What she says and _especially_ what she doesn’t say,” Kahlan said meaningfully.

Richard just smiled and looked at her with an expression that conveyed he knew what she meant. They walked to the wide area in the back of the inn, where Alec was accompanied by about thirty men ready to learn from the Seeker how to protect themselves and their families. Cara was leaning on the inn’s wall, her shoulders flush with the stone, hips tilted forward and feet crossed. When she saw Richard approaching she went to his side, left hand on her agiels.

For the rest of the afternoon, Richard taught the men various ways to defend themselves. He showed them how to handle a weapon, starting with staffs, and made them practice with him first and them with each other. When they looked like they were starting to get the hang of it, the Seeker asked who wanted to try and fight Cara. No one came forward.

“I’ll try not to kill you,” Cara said, hoping that would be enough to make the men more relaxed. But the word _try_ did nothing to lessen the men’s fears.

Kahlan stepped forward and addressed the frightened men, “What she meant was that she’ll not hurt any of you,” she said with a reassuring smile.

“I meant exactly what I said, Mother Confessor,” the Mord’Sith said matter-of-factly with a furrowed brow. She noticed that they relaxed more with what Kahlan told them. But if they weren’t careful they _could_ get hurt.

“I know you did Cara, but they don’t have to know,” Kahlan said widening her eyes slightly at Cara in hopes the blonde would get that she was trying to put the men at ease. She smiled when she saw Cara sigh and shrug her shoulders.

They practiced until close to sundown. Richard also gave advice in how to build a better wall around town and advised them to have someone on watch at all times. The men thanked them for their help and promised to put the teachings to good use.

********************

The inn was packed at dinner. The wine was flowing freely in honor of the Seeker. There was singing and dancing, everybody was having a good time. Richard’s mug was being filled without rest, and various people were asking him to talk about his adventures. He indulged them and let himself relax. Zedd was sitting at a table, delighting himself with meat, bread, cheese and various fruits of the season. Cara and Kahlan were finishing eating at his table too.

“I’m going to get another pitch of wine,” Cara said getting up. Kahlan nodded and followed the blonde with her eyes. She noticed that the two massive men they had seen earlier were there again, and they were looking at Cara with an almost hungry look.

“Are you as tough and hard as they say Mord’Sith’s are?” the one with dark hair asked next to Cara. He was already pretty drunk and had an obvious interest in the sexy blonde in leather.

“More,” Cara said succinctly. She was in no mood to deal with this, she hoped he would shut up or else she would use her agiels and see how he liked it. But he was drunk; he didn’t know when to shut up.

“How about we go upstairs and I’ll show you how hard I can be,” he slurred, getting close to the blonde.

Cara smirked, already anticipating the sweet pain she was going to bestow upon him. But as she was reaching for one of her agiels, she heard Kahlan’s irritated voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the Mother Confessor demanded with every little note of authority and anger dripping from her voice.

Cara was a little taken aback by this; she didn’t known exactly what Kahlan was referring to. But then she looked closely to the Confessor’s stern face and saw that she was directing her question at the burly man who was trying to bed her.

Apparently the look on Kahlan’s face was enough to put fear in the man’s eyes. That and the fact that he was being addressed by the Mother Confessor of the Midlands, he didn’t want to risk his free will over a woman; even if it was a stunning woman such as Cara.

“What’s your name?” the Mother Confessor asked with a chilly voice when the man kept silence.

“Noran, Mother Confessor.” he said, bowing his head in respect.

“Well Noran, I asked you a question,” Kahlan insisted.

“I apologize, Mother Confessor. I was out of line,” Noran said, trying to appease the brunette.

“It’s not to me you owe an apology to,” Kahlan reminded him coldly, “It’s to Mistress Cara.”

Noran turned his bowed head in Cara’s direction and complied, “I apologize sincerely, Mistress Cara.” 

“Just get out of my sight,” Cara snapped at him and turned to walk in the direction of the stairs that led to the bedrooms upstairs. “Could you come with me, Mother Confessor?” she turned slightly and said to Kahlan without meeting her eyes,

After noticing Kahlan’s nod, she went to the room they would be sharing, the Confessor right behind her.

********************

“Why did you do that?” Cara wasted no time in asking as soon as the bedroom door closed behind them. “As if I’m helpless to defend myself, from a drunken idiot no less!” the Mord’Sith said seething, shocked by the Confessor’s behavior.

Kahlan had never defended her in a situation like that so fiercely. Granted she defended Cara when they met Dennee, but that was different. In this case her life was hardly in any danger, and yet Kahlan behaved like the man had a dagger to the blonde’s throat. 

“He was hitting on you!” Kahlan shouted.

If the shout surprised Cara, whose eyes couldn’t get any wider, it surprised the Mother Confessor even more. Kahlan did not shout lightly. It was not the way she dealt with things. And for her to have that kind of visceral reaction from something so insignificant left the brunette slightly questioning her mental health. 

“The majority of men and half the women do,” the blonde told Kahlan matter-of-factly, “They find me very desirable,” she stated simply. 

Cara could not understand what was going on with Kahlan. _Maybe she got torn in two again_ , Cara thought, but quickly dismissed the idea.

“I know,” Kahlan said quickly, raising her brow. She was bothered by something she couldn’t identify, but was surely eating at her. “But he was being rude about it,” she continued gesturing with her hands as if to emphasize the severity of the situation. “He was showing off in front of his friend,” she continued with her rant, not comprehending why Cara was not bothered by the disgusting man’s behavior. 

“Oh you know, do you?” Cara drawled, raising an eyebrow and lifting her lips in a half smile, briefly putting her anger on hold to take this opportunity to provoke Kahlan.

Kahlan looked disbelievingly at the blonde. _Figures, after all I said she focuses on that_ , Kahlan though. She would be amused if she was not so mad.

“Didn’t you hear what I said, Cara?” Kahlan asked narrowing her eyes. “He was being a jerk!”

“Yes,” Cara said distractedly, although her annoyance perfectly discernible. “That’s called being a man, or don’t you know that?”

Cara was so stunned by this argument that she didn’t realize immediately the implications of her words. But when Kahlan didn’t fire a comeback, she noticed the hurt look behind Kahlan’s still irritated face. Of course Kahlan wouldn’t know. The Confessor’s experience with the male gender was very different from the Mord’Sith’s experience. _That’s an understatement_ , Cara thought. Cara knew that was a sore subject for Kahlan, but this whole argument was a little insane, it was starting to make her dizzy. 

“Look,” Kahlan said more calmly, “I just felt the need to defend your…”

“If you are going to say honor save it, or did you forget who you’re talking to with?” the blonde interrupted Kahlan before she could finish, “I’m Mord’Sith.” she said unfalteringly.

“And that means what, exactly?” Kahlan asked, feeling herself getting annoyed again. 

The Confessor didn’t know why, but she just couldn’t stop herself. She was peeved. How could Cara be more annoyed at her for defending her than at that man for practically insulting her?

“It means my honor is in my agiels,” Cara shouted this time, “the rest it’s called pleasure.” she smirked.

Kahlan was being unreasonable and Cara was done trying to understand the brunette. Didn’t the Confessor know she was not some little girl in need of protection? _Kahlan_ insulted her, coming to her rescue like that.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that, would I?” Kahlan said quietly.

She hated that she was so out of control. Normally she would never prolong this argument. She would never start it in the first place. After venting to Cara she realized that she overreacted downstairs. But the Confessor’s unwavering control on her emotions shattered completely for some reason.

Cara looked at Kahlan and regretted her words immediately. Kahlan Amnel was a woman of great honor and dignity. Her inability to freely be intimate with someone was a curse that came with her power. It was not her intension to use that against the Confessor, but she couldn’t help but feel like she should have been more careful with her words. Nevertheless, she was still angry and that made her storm out of the bedroom. Kahlan sat heavily on the bed and rubbed her face frustratingly.


	5. Chapter 5

  


Kahlan stayed in their bedroom thinking about what had transpired between them. It was a stupid fight, now she was sure of it. But why did they have it to began with?

  


Noran behaved badly with Cara, but the Mord’Sith was more than capable of handling it alone. _Spirits, she could beat the man with her eyes closed and hands tied_. _Or simply dismiss him like he hadn’t been there_. Kahlan thought, not for the first time, after Cara left. Maybe she was so protective of Cara because the blonde was one of her very few friends? Growing up she didn’t have many friends; everybody was afraid to touch her. And with the passage of time it seemed to get worse. She was the Mother Confessor, there was no way she could hide that, nor did she want to. But the other side of the coin was that people were afraid of her touch; they respected her, but they also feared her. They feared not just her touch, but her authority, her ability to pronounce judgment over every other person in the Midlands. That was evident with Noran. The man immediately backed down from confronting her. Even drunk and fearless enough to hit on a Mord’Sith he was very afraid of the Mother Confessor. But Cara, a Mord’Sith that could die a horrible death with just one touch from Kahlan, didn’t fear that she could lose control of her powers and confess her. When Cara deflected her casual touch, it was because she was uncomfortable with that kind of physical contact, not because she was afraid of confession. And Kahlan could work with that. Cara was tolerating those touches from her a lot more than she used to. And sometimes the blonde even initiated it.

  


Cara had been gone for a few candle marks already, and the Confessor was starting to think she would not come back. Kahlan was looking out the window when she heard the door open and close.

  


”Thank the Creator you’re okay,” Kahlan said relieved at seeing the blonde in one piece, “I was worried,” she said softly.

  


Cara stopped in her tracks and sighed deeply, “I thought I already made it perfectly clear that I can take care of myself,” Cara said looking at Kahlan through her lashes.

  


“Cara, about earlier, that was uncalled for-” Kahlan tried to apologize but was cut off by Cara.

  


“You think?” Cara said sarcastically but without the angry tone she had used earlier. She had time to think and decided that it was best not to make a big deal out of it.

  


Following their fight, Cara had gone back downstairs to calm herself, but after drinking a mug of wine the noise started to annoy her. To avoid it she had gone outside for a short walk, ending up seated on a rock. She had thought about Kahlan’s out of proportion reaction. It had almost seemed like she was jealous. But why would Kahlan be jealous? Had she been jealous of Norman? That couldn’t be right, that would mean Kahlan had some kind of feelings for her. _No, that’s ludicrous_ , Cara thought with a frown. The Mother Confessor was in love with the Seeker, the Lord Rahl. Sure, she had seemed a little off lately, but Cara could only speculate about what was bothering the brunette, since Kahlan never talked with her about that.

  


Cara’s eyes had suddenly widened as it hit her. Maybe Kahlan’s reaction was jealously after all: jealously of her, because Cara could bed whoever she wanted to without disastrous consequences and the Confessor didn’t have that luxury. Kahlan must have reacted that way because she didn’t want to see Cara do something that she, herself, couldn’t do. She loved Richard, not being able to consummate that love must be painful for her. _That makes more sense, that must be it_ , Cara concluded. Shifting, Cara realized her legs had grown stiff and cold as she sat thinking. Overhead, the last of the sun’s light had faded and the stars glittered in the chilly air. Finally having reached a logical conclusion left her feeling a lot less accomplished than she had anticipated, however. The other idea, of Kahlan being jealous of that man just for hitting on her, was suddenly a lot more appealing. _Spirits, that wine must be stronger than I thought_ , she thought, shaking her head to disperse the sudden strange feelings. At this point, Cara had decided to stop musing about Kahlan’s hypothetical motives and go back to the bedroom to get some rest.

  


“I honestly don’t know what came over me,” Kahlan said, rubbing her brow with the pads of her fingers, “I’m sorry for yelling at you,” she said looking apologetically at Cara and hoping the Mord’Sith wouldn’t clam up.

  


Before this they had been getting along so well. Kahlan had come to rely so much on Cara’s witty comments and small discreet gestures. The blonde always found a way to bright her day and Kahlan didn’t want their relationship to regress. She wanted Cara to continue to let her see the amazing person she was inside. But that would only happen if the Mord’Sith didn’t completely shut her out again. Only recently had the brunette been allowed to see a little of who Cara was inside; she wanted to see more, not get shut out.

  


“I accept your apology,” Cara said, tilting her head in acknowledgment, but Kahlan could see a flicker in Cara’s eyes that told the blonde would not stop at that. “Just don’t forget again that I can look out for myself,” she said warningly to Kahlan, green eyes piercing Kahlan’s blue ones. “And all of you for that matter, I’m very capable in that department,” she continued raising her head proudly and letting her trade mark smirk show. “If it wasn’t for me you would all be dead at least a couple of times by now,” the blonde said truthfully, but with a teasing smirk on her lips. With this Cara hoped she had steered the conversation to an end. Kahlan had apologized; it was no use to keep discussing this. Whatever it was. 

  


Kahlan raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips together in a tight but amused smile and nodding her head in a knowing way. She sat down on her side of the bed and thought, _Of course she would say something like that. Oh Cara, sometimes..._ “you’re so cute,” she finished out loud without really realizing.

  


“ _What_ did you call me?” The Mord’Sith asked slowly, going from calm to furious at burning speed. “I’m not _cute_ ; I’ve _never_ been and I’ll _never_ be,” she stated, gesturing brusquely with one hand to accentuate her words. “Do you understand that Mother Confessor?” Cara asked, putting her hands on her hips, eyes wide and brows raised in question. She was clearly pissed by Kahlan’s remark.

  


_Now she looks even cuter,_ Kahlan though thoroughly amused. But she chose not to tease Cara any further and just nodded her head affirmatively.

  


“Do you? Because you don’t look like you do,” Cara said suspiciously, after detecting that almost imperceptible smirk on Kahlan’s lips. She was still standing up in front of the bed, while Kahlan was already in her night clothes sitting on the bed, with her back to the headboard.

  


“Yes Cara, I understand perfectly,” Kahlan tried to reassure the blonde, but she couldn’t wipe the smile of her face if her life depended on it. _What_ _is wrong with me?_ she wondered absentmindedly. “Will you come to bed now? It’s late and we need to sleep,” she addressed the still furious blonde.

  


Cara just stood there looking doubtfully at her, with her arms now crossed defensively on her chest, one eyebrow raised and lips almost… _Is she pouting?_ Kahlan noticed amazed. 

  


Cara sniffed, uncrossed her arms, and swaggered slowly towards the bed without lowering her eyebrow and without diverting her intense gaze from Kahlan’s suddenly unfocused one. The Confessor felt a shiver run down her spine; she couldn’t take her eyes away from that magnetic gaze. Cara did it for her as she sat on her side of the bed, turning her back to Kahlan, and took her boots off. Kahlan breathed in a shaky breath. _How does she make me feel like that with just a look?_ she laid down beneath the covers and settled herself for the night.

  


After taking off her boots Cara stood up and walked towards her pack, while taking of her top leathers at the same time. When she reached her destination, she turned slightly towards the bed to rest her top on a chair next to the wall. Kahlan followed the blonde’s progress through the bedroom with rapt attention. The way Cara moved was so catlike, so spellbinding, that she couldn’t help but look. The brunette could see the muscles moving beneath the golden skin when Cara took off her leathers. When the blonde turned slightly in her direction, the side of her breast entered Kahlan’s line of sight. The brunette gasped, feeling a warmth lower on her belly. She turned her head to look at the ceiling, trying to control her sudden accelerated heart beat. 

  


Cara took off the rest of her leathers and put on a large shirt. _Since_ _Kahlan has a problem with modesty… I would rather be without any clothes_ , the Mord’Sith thought wishfully. She went back to the bed and stretched out leisurely on the bed, next to the Confessor. After settling herself on her back, left leg bended and right arm beneath her pillow, she turned her head to her left to look at Kahlan. “I’m not cute,” she stated firmly.

  


Kahlan chuckled, feeling her uneasiness dissipate at Cara’s words. “Okay, okay, I got it. You’re nothing near cute,” she said condescendingly. “I just said that without thinking,” she said, turning on her side to look at Cara and putting both hands beneath her pillow.

  


“You _are_ worried then,” the Mord’Sith observed, looking pensively in Kahlan’s eyes.

  


“What do you mean?” Kahlan asked with a furrowed brow.

  


“You think a lot before you speak Kahlan,” Cara said matter-of-factly. “If you’re speaking without thinking, your mind must be filled with something that is _really_ bothering you.”

  


“Nothing gets past you, does it?” Kahlan smiled and rolled her eyes at Cara’s deduction,

  


“You may be able to read people Mother Confessor, but I’m very perceptive; I just don’t share what I observe as much as you do,” she gave Kahlan a smug smirk, allowing the mood to lighten; they were both tired and it was not the time to be dwelling on those thoughts.

  


Kahlan grinned at Cara’s smugness. “You sure are perceptive,” she said with a spark in her eyes.

  


Cara just gave a slight nod confirming that she knew that already. The brunette just chuckled, shaking her head. 

  


“Goodnight Cara,” Kahlan said exhaling a content breath while letting the tips of her fingers softly slide along Cara’s face from forehead to chin in a playful gesture. 

  


Cara let her smirk relax into a smile. She closed her eyes and mumbled a good night to Kahlan, wondering why her breath had caught all of a sudden at Kahlan’s touch.

  


********************

  


In the morning Kahlan woke up, but didn’t open her eyes immediately. She was in a comfortable and warm cocoon with no desire to get out. But, unfortunately, duty called and sooner or later she would need to get out of the comfortable, and rare, bed.

  


The moment she opened her eyes she saw the reason of her being so snug. In front of her was a cascade of blonde hair and her body was wrapped around another with hot golden skin. She inhaled the essence surrounding her, that was all leather and something else that was all Cara. The Mord’Sith was sprawled on her back, in the same way she went to sleep in. The Confessor must have rolled in her sleep and ended up on her side, half on top of the blonde. Kahlan had her left arm throw over Cara’s stomach and her left leg tangled with the blonde’s left one. It was just as she noticed where all of her limbs were that she became aware of her skin being in direct contact with Cara’s. She had her hand palming Cara’s stomach beneath the oversized shirt the blonde wore to sleep, and since the Mord’Sith refused to put anything more than the shirt and her undergarments on, the bare skin of their legs was alluringly connected. 

  


Cara was still sleeping soundly; which was a little odd since she normally woke up before Kahlan. The Mother Confessor dared to raise her head, without moving anything else, and took a moment to admire Cara. The blonde looked so peaceful. When they were sleeping in the woods, Cara usually slept with one eye open, but now she was completely serene. The blonde had her head slightly turned in Kahlan’s direction and her left arm was draped around Kahlan’s back, making the Confessor feel as secure as if she were surrounded by the elite of the Home Guard.

  


The sheets had fallen to their waists and Kahlan admired how her hand rested upon Cara’s toned stomach. She always knew Cara had to have a toned body, but actually feeling those strong muscles beneath such a soft skin was mesmerizing to Kahlan. She was just taking in all that she was feeling, without scrutinizing for the reason she was feeling this strong pull towards the blonde woman. She let her hand glide across Cara’s stomach and came across little burn marks on her left hip. That was the place she kept her agiels, the constant pain that the weapon caused must have left those marks there. She traced them with a ghostly touch, fearing she would wake up Cara. The fact that the blonde hadn’t woke up by now left Kahlan thinking that the Mord’Sith must be in the same state of comfort that Kahlan had been in when she first woke up, and it prevented her from waking, even with Kahlan’s touch.

  


Letting her hand continue to stroke the marks, the Confessor started to think about the pain of the agiels, if the pain of touching them was always the same. She had felt the sting of those particular weapons once, when the Mord’Sith had burnt her wound close when they were chasing Zedd and Denna. That pain had been so excruciating she had passed out. And now, from some morbid curiosity, she wanted to know if it would be the same; if Cara felt that kind of excruciating pain at her hip, where she carried the agiels. With this thought, Kahlan looked to the side table, where Cara’s agiels were resting, ready for use. Without really thinking, Kahlan lifted her hand from Cara’s stomach and stretched to reach one of the agiels. On the moment she was about to touch one with the tips of her fingers though, she heard a husky voice next to her ear.

  


“What in the Creator’s name do you think you’re doing?” Cara said, her voice sounding rough because she just woke up, but carrying every single once of intensity as if she had been awake for hours.

  


Startled by Cara’s voice, Kahlan lost her balance and her body fell upon Cara’s. Her upper body was flush with the blonde’s and Kahlan could feel the raise of Cara’s chest as the Mord’Sith breathed. She could feel Cara’s breasts pressed to her own. As the Confessor looked in the blonde’s piercing green eyes, she lost herself in their intensity.

  


“I…I…I was…” Kahlan stuttered, completely unfocused. Her gaze going from Cara’s eyes to Cara’s puckered lips.

  


“You were reaching for my agiel,” Cara said, without taking her hand from around Kahlan’s back.

  


“Yes,” Kahlan blinked. “I was just going to touch one,” she said vaguely.

  


“You were just going to touch one?” Cara repeated raising one perfect eyebrow. “Let me explain something to you Kahlan,” the blonde said tucking one lock of the Confessors dark long hair behind her ear. “The only way either one of my agiels are going to touch you is if you need to have another gash burned closed fast,” she said quietly. “Or if I die and someone picks it up to hurt you.” When Kahlan just stared at her, she added determinedly. “Probably not even then, I would definitely come back from the dead and kill the bastard before anything could happen.”

  


Kahlan was so mesmerized by Cara’s closeness, by the way their bodies molded together, that she was barely paying attention to what Cara was saying. When Cara touched her hair so tenderly and absentmindedly, like it was a daily occurrence, Kahlan knew she had never felt so exhilarated and protected as she was at that moment. Cara was, without a doubt the most thrilling being she had ever met.

  


She could feel the warm breath from the Mord’Sith’s lips; she couldn’t help but look at those full and luscious rosy distractions. It was like she couldn’t control her own body. Without conscious thought, she started to lower herself on the blonde, looking between Cara’s eyes and lips, and aiming her lips at the blonde’s. The attraction she felt towards Cara was now painfully evident.

  


Cara swallowed slowly. She could not believe what was about to happen. Was Kahlan really about to kiss her? The Confessor was worming herself inside Cara’s defenses, successfully tearing down her walls and getting to places inside her no one had ever been before. The only thing Cara could do right now, the only thing that she _wanted_ to do, was kiss Kahlan’s sweet soft lips. Cara encouraged Kahlan with the hand she still had on the brunette’s back. The Mord’Sith could feel her chest tremble in anticipation. As both of them felt their lips barely touch, the moment was violently interrupted by an angry loud voice from outside.

  


“Mother Confessor,” a man’s voice yelled angrily.

  


Kahlan jumped away from Cara’s embrace and looked in the window’s direction. Cara immediately picked up her agiels and went to the window to see who was the owner of the voice. When she looked outside, she saw ten men on horseback, all lined up in front of the inn. All of them had leather armor on. _Extremely grimy_ , Cara thought scrunching her nose. They had various weapons strapped to their bodies and folded nets on the back of the horses. They looked like slave dealers. That assumption was confirmed when she saw Noran at the front. The man who had hit on her the night before, was next to an older man who resembled him.

  


“What is it Cara?” the Confessor asked worriedly, trying to look over Cara’s shoulder.

  


“Slave dealers asking for you,” she said succinctly, “I don’t like this, don’t leave this room without me, I’m just going to put my clothes on.” The blonde said retreating to where she left her leather and hurriedly putting them on. Kahlan busied herself with putting her white dress back on. After making sure her daggers were secure on her boots, the Confessor moved to help Cara with the laces on her back. The blonde gave her a curt nod of appreciation. The adrenaline provoked from their concern about what was happening outside made them act quickly and practically, avoiding thinking about what had transpired between them on the bed.

  


When Cara opened the door, she found Richard and Zedd on the other side. The Seeker had his hand raised to knock. Richard and Cara looked at each other with serious expressions, tacitly assuring one another that they where going with Kahlan to protect her from whatever was waiting at the front of the inn. The four went down the stairs, thinking about what awaits them.

  


*****

  


When they arrived at the front of the inn, they heard the man that sounded like he was the leader talk to the innkeeper.

  


“I demand to see the Mother Confessor,” he shouted furiously, “I know she’s in there; go get her or I’ll burn this whole thing to the ground.”

  


“You don’t’ have to do anything,” the Mother Confessor’s voice sounded crisp and clear. “I’m right here. What do you want with me?” Kahlan asked, her face locked into the mask of authority and coolness that belonged to the Mother Confessor.

  


“I want you to pay for destroying my only son,” the man seethed with rage, while he dismounted and advanced on Kahlan.

  


Immediately Richard unsheathed his sword and put himself in front of Kahlan. Cara assumed the same posture, agiels at the ready in her hands.

  


“Before you dictate a sentence, tell me what you think I did to your son,” Kahlan said calmly, but without losing her posture and looking the man in the eyes, conveying that she did not fear him in any way.

  


The man huffed and turned around. “My name is Tyran and this is my son, Noran.” Tyran said, while pointing at the man that tried to bed Cara the night before.

  


Noran dismounted his horse and approached the Confessor. Richard and Cara stood ready to strike. But when Noran got closer he bowed his head and said respectfully in greeting, “Mother Confessor.”

  


When Noran lifted his head and looked at Kahlan, she understood immediately what his father meant. “He’s confessed,” she said, stunned.

  


Cara and Richard turned around quickly, looking perplexed and confused at her. Zedd furrowed his brown in confusion too, pondering the implications, _how is this possible?_ the wizard thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone was still standing motionless in a stunned silence. Kahlan could not take her eyes off Norman. The man had the adoring look on his face that only came from confession; from being bare of free will and chained with a forced love for another. Kahlan Amnel was the only Confessor alive, so the logical conclusion was that she had done it, even though she had no memory of it; she had confessed him. _But how?_ Kahlan wondered. 

Interpreting the Mother Confessor’s surprised silence as guilt; Tyran’s confidence in his accusations was renewed. “You don’t want to say anything in your defense, Mother Confessor?” Tyran asked, “Then I assume you are to blame,” he said triumphantly, taking a menacing step in Kahlan’s direction. His hand was twitching on the handle of his sword.

“The only thing you can assume if you don’t back off, is that I’ll glue my agiel to your gut,” Cara said harshly, putting herself more directly in front of Kahlan and effectively blocking Tyran’s path. The man halted his steps, but the fury in his eyes never diminished.

Even with all the tension surrounding them, Kahlan couldn’t help the fluttering of her heart at Cara’s protective words. But she didn’t want the blonde to have to follow through on her threats; there was no need for the situation to escalate. However impossible it seemed, Kahlan hadn’t confessed this man’s son. Nevertheless, in her continuing state of shock, she was unable to identify a different cause for the confession than the one Tyran was proposing.

“Kahlan would never confess a man unjustifiably,” Richard said, trying to defend her. “If she did, he must have done something,” the Seeker said decidedly. 

“I didn’t do it, Richard,” Kahlan snapped, her head turning in Richard’s direction.

“The _Mother Confessor_ says she didn’t do it,” Zedd said, stressing Kahlan’s title while he looked in Richard’s eyes. _The boy forgets that Kahlan is the ruler of all the Midlands. She has authority over all of us here; she must be respected and addressed as such when these situations arise_. Zedd thought to himself, somewhat disappointed at his grandchild’s lack of understanding that he needed to still address Kahlan with respect as he defended her. “And I believe her. Let’s try to find out what happened to your son,” the wizard said addressing Tyran, hoping that the man would calm down.

“Well, I don’t believe her,” Tyran retorted angrily. “My son is _confessed_ and _she’s_ the only Confessor alive. There’s no doubt here,” he shouted at the wizard. The rest of the men on horseback dismounted when they sensed their leader’s rising anger. Every one of them was ready to strike on his command.

Sensing their increasing danger, Kahlan tried to avoid the looming blood shed. “I understand your reasoning, but that is not what happened,” she said calmly to Tyran. “Let us help you find out what really happened to him. But be advised, if you try to attack me or my friends, you’ll regret it,” Kahlan finished with a cold voice, standing tall in her Mother Confessor’s regalia.

Hearing these words, Cara tilted her head and let a predatory smirk spread her lips. Her eagerness to fight was clear on her features and her stance.

Just by seeing that tilt of Cara’s head, Kahlan could perfectly picture the expression on the blonde’s face. She was sure that if the man accusing her decided to attack her, he wouldn’t be able to get passed the fierce Mord’Sith in order to do it.

But not even a Mord’Sith, a wizard of the First Order, the Seeker and the Mother Confessor could scare the man into ending his tirade. He was blinded with rage and his thirst for vengeance. “That _is_ the truth,” Tyran yelled. “Yesterday, when he arrived at our camp, my son told me that you reprimanded him,” the man continued angrily, “You did _more_ than that, didn’t you?” he spat out.

“Father she-“ Noran tried to speak but was quickly cut off by his father.

“Be quite boy,” he ordered without even glancing in his son’s direction.

“You met him before?” Richard asked, turning to his left to look at Kahlan.

“Yes, I did. Yesterday at dusk,” Kahlan said, without letting her Confessor’s mask falter, although inside she was wondering if she could have possibly confessed him the day before. She was certainly angry and her emotions were out of control, but that was not enough for her to confess him without touch. That only happened when she entered the Con Dar and she had not been _that_ angry. Or had she?

“Why did you reprimand him?” Richard asked curiously.

At this Kahlan’s cheeks colored slightly. Kahlan didn’t have the slightest desire to explain why exactly she had reprimanded Noran so gravely. She risked a look at Cara’s back. She couldn’t see the Mord’Sith’s face, but she saw the grip on her agiels go tighter. Evidently Cara didn’t want to revisit the incident either.

“He was being impolite,” Kahlan vaguely explained. “I just told him to back off,” she added, somewhat defensibly. Confessing him had never crossed her mind.

Richard was about to open her mouth to speak, but Tyran beat him to it.

“You didn’t _just tell him,_ ” the man contradicted her. “From what he said to me, you almost ripped his head off, probably would have if he hadn’t been being so obedient,” Tyran said, looking at Kahlan with disgust. He was clearly not giving up his idea of blaming Kahlan for the state his son was obviously in. “And that trouble-free submissiveness was probably because you _confessed_ him,” he finished bitterly. He couldn’t imagine his brave and bold son, sometimes stupidly fearless, kneeling at a woman’s feet readily, not without putting up a fight.

“Could you have entered the Con Dar and confess him even without touch?” Zedd asked Kahlan. The wizard doubted that was the case, he was sure they would have noticed if Kahlan entered the Con Dar. But he asked anyway, just to make sure they covered every possibility.

“She did nothing of the sort,” Cara said, sounding bored. “If she had, I wouldn’t be standing here, _alive_ , would I?” she pointed out with a raised brow, rotating her head to look at Zedd. 

“Why did you tell him to back off?” Richard asked Kahlan what he had intended to ask before he got interrupted.

Kahlan didn’t want to share with everyone the reason why she got so furious the night before. She had already discussed it with Cara and they had buried the issue.

Seeing the discomfort in the Confessor’s face, Cara intervened, saving Kahlan from having to tell what had happened; the blonde knew Kahlan was not one to be at ease talking about these matters. She, on the other hand, had no such problem.

“He was trying to get into my leathers,” Cara interjected, turning to Zedd and Richard. “The Mother Confessor noticed that he was being inappropriate and told him to try to behave like an adult,” the blonde said unapologetically.

Kahlan was thankful to Cara for intervening. She was aware that she overreacted the night before and sharing that with others made her feel somewhat vulnerable.

“So, you confessed my son because you were defending a _harlot_?” Tyran said disbelievingly.

A blink after he finished that sentence, he felt a sharp pain in his jaw and his back hitting hard on the ground. The next thing he was aware of was a screeching scream and a blinding pain in his stomach. When he opened his eyes, he saw the Mord’Sith applying the end of her weapon to his belly. The blonde was hovering over him with a look of both rage and satisfaction in her eyes.

“I don’t need anyone to defend me,” Cara said between her teeth. “And as you can see, I’m a lot more dangerous than a harlot,” she stated, fixing Tyran with a murderous look.

Seeing their leader sprawled on the ground, the rest of the men unsheathed their swords to attack. They’d taken the first step when they heard the Mother Confessor’s voice roaring with authority and menace.

“That is enough,” Kahlan said, stepping in front of Cara. “Order your men to lower their weap-“ she was interrupted by Cara’s solid form colliding with her body and knocking her to the ground. They fell with a thump; unfortunately, a medium sized rock that was protruding from the ground bore itself into Kahlan’s lower back. She looked up into Cara’s worried eyes. The Mord’Sith heard her gasp in pain and immediately checked her out for wounds.

“It’s nothing, I hit my back on a rock,” Kahlan informed the blonde in a whisper. “It’s just a bruise,” she reassured Cara after passing her hand over the area and not feeling blood.

Cara got up and saw the archer with his bow still raised in their direction. The arrow had only missed by a few inches, ending up deflected by Richard’s sword; its trajectory guided it in the Seeker’s direction, after passing the spot where the Mother Confessor was supposed to be had Cara not acted.

Kahlan also noticed this. Without even getting up completely, she took one of her daggers and threw it at her attacker. The man was struck dead as the dagger plunged into his chest an instant later.

Richard jumped forward with his sword ready to strike any men who dared to even look at Kahlan. He was about to speak his mind when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see his grandfather with a slightly admonished face.

“Quiet my boy,” Zedd said. “This one is for the Mother Confessor to handle, not the Seeker of Truth,” he squeezed Richard’s strong shoulder to emphasize his words and make sure his grandson followed his advice.

“I’ve tolerated this more than I should,” Kahlan said. She winced imperceptibly when she got up, but her voice came out in a cool and unquestionable tone. “All of you put down your weapons if you don’t want to end up like your friend,” she warned, nodding in the dead man’s direction.

Cara’s gaze focused on the disoriented Tyran. _Poor excuse for a man… can’t even handle a little pain_. The blonde thought, attributing his disorientation to the pain her agiels provoked. Cara leaned down and poked the still prone Tyran with her agiel. The man yelped and ordered his men to stand down.

“You have no right or authority to come here and accuse me of anything,” Kahlan said. “I am the Mother Confessor, do not forget yourself,” she said with a threatening voice.

“I only seek justice for my son Mother Confessor,” Tyran said lowering his voice, while he got up from the ground.

“Father-“ Noran tried to speak again.

“Shut up, boy,” he said hastily. “I can barely stand to ear you speak with that whine in your voice.”

Noran had a stricken look on his face, while he looked between his father and the Mother Confessor.

“What you are doing here is not justice,” Kahlan continue with ice in her voice. “It’s vengeance, probably aimed at the wrong person,” she said looking directly into Tyran’s eyes, her gaze conveying only command. “You’ll answer my questions or you’ll go to trial for defying me, the highest authority of the Midlands. Do you understand?”

Tyran nodded rapidly, now with fear in his eyes. Once the adrenaline passed, he finally comprehended the gravity of his actions. He was so mad about his only son’s state, that he had forgotten who he was talking to. Seeing the Mother Confessor regally standing before him, calmly prepared to pass judgment over his life, he suddenly understood a lot better why his son had show submission to her, with or without confession. Maybe she was telling the truth. Tyran’s knees started to tremble. This woman’s commanding posture could no longer be ignored. She was, without a shadow of a doubt, the rightful ruler of the Midlands. She could judge him for his defiance and condemn him as she saw fit. He prayed that it wouldn’t be the Mord’Sith to punish him. He certainly didn’t want to experience the excruciating pain of an agiel again.

Kahlan turned to Noran and assessed his stance. When he noticed her attention on him, he immediately bowed his head. But now, that the initial shock at the news had passed and she could afford to shift her attention from father to son, she could see an important detail. This man was not showing submission to her because he was confessed by her. He was showing the same submission he had showed the night before, although without the drunken slur in his voice. He was bowing his head to the Mother Confessor of the Midlands, not to his Mistress. With this in mind, although she was filled with incredulity, her next question was direct:

“Who confessed you?” Kahlan asked Noran.

“My Mistress, Mother Confessor,” he said, a radiant and adoration filled smile lifting his whole face. It was a smile that would normally incite admiration in Kahlan, but knowing the reason behind it, instead, only incited disgust.

“You don’t say,” Cara muttered sarcastically under her breath. She had moved to stand a step behind Kahlan, and was watching every movement like a hawk.

Kahlan could hear the Mord’Sith’s dry comment and had to control an amused smile that was struggling to show on her lips. A warm, calming feeling flooded her chest. Even in a stressful situation such as this, Cara could make her feel grounded and calm with something as simple as a sarcastic remark.

“What’s your Mistress’s name?” Kahlan insistently inquired the confessed man, thinking that maybe it had been her sister. Although it was highly unlikely, since Dennee was far away from here, it was not impossible. After all, Kahlan and Dennee were the only two Confessor’s alive. Kahlan had to know.

“Forgive me Mother Confessor, but I can’t answer that,” he said apologetically, but without any guilt.

“What does she look like then?” Kahlan asked, thinking that maybe he didn’t know the name of the woman who confessed him. “Did she have brown hair and blue eyes?” the brunette specified, giving the description of her sister’s new body.

“She didn’t have brown hair,” he said, which meant Kahlan’s suspicion that it could have been her sister who confessed this man was incorrect. “I can’t tell you more than that,” he said resolutely. But this time, Kahlan noticed he had a small smile on his lips when he refused to reveal his Mistress’s identity or looks.

Cara saw the smile too and immediately found it suspicious. “Is he lying?” the Mord’Sith pondered. “I could make him tell the truth,” she said, a menacing smirk on her lips. Cara lifted her right arm and pointed an agiel at his chin; her intentions perfectly clear.

“No, he isn’t lying,” Kahlan responded beside her, reading the truth of his words with her powers. She grabbed Cara’s forearm softly, in order to compel the blonde to lower her weapon. The moment her fingers closed around the taunt muscles of Cara’s forearm, she felt herself tremble inside. Her Confessor’s mask never faltered, she was sure no one picked up on her momentary shift of focus; but when she glanced at Cara and saw the Mord’Sith return her look, she knew that those green eyes could make out the turmoil wrecking havoc inside her.

Cara could feel the heat from Kahlan’s hand even through her leather. Feeling the heat from Kahlan’s skin transported her immediately to the moment she had woke up this morning. Cara felt a shiver travel down her spine just at the memory. When she felt the brunette’s hand twitch slightly around her arm, she glanced at Kahlan. What she saw in the Confessor’s eyes was the reflection of her own thoughts. 

Since this was not the time to be indulging in distractions, Cara lowered her arm and broke her eye connection with Kahlan. The Confessor cleared her throat quietly and addressed Noran again.

“Why do you look so pleased in hiding her identity?” the Mother Confessor inquired.

“Because my Mistress told me not to give that information to anyone,” he said, the adoration unwavering on his features. “She told me to be good and not to tell anyone anything about her. That’s why I was trying to stop my father from harming you. I was trying to be good, make things right. But he wouldn’t hear me and I have to respect him because he’s my father just as I have to respect you because you are the Mother Confessor.”

“When did she confess you?” Kahlan tried to collect more information, wondering why his Mistress had made such a request. It was exceptionally clear what had happened to Noran; if she wanted to remain undetected, why had she not ordered him to conceal that fact as well?

“Last night, Mother Confessor, when I returned from the inn,” he answered. “I am so sorry, I was going to do terrible things to her,” he said starting to weep. “I’m so sorry, so sorry,” he sniffled. “But my Mistress forgave me, she just told me to never do it again,” he finished with a grateful look on his dark eyes.

“You had someone with you in the tent?” Tyran asked his son, a disbelieving look on his face.

“Forgive me father, I was going to sell her and keep the profits to myself,” Noran revealed, with fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.

“You captured _a Confessor_ on your own?” Cara asked doubtfully. She knew the man was confessed and that Kahlan would be able to tell if he was lying, but that sounded more than a little unbelievable. How could a man like him successfully capture a Confessor? He should have been confessed on the spot.

“No, I was with Harus,” he said, referring to the burly man that was with him on the inn the night before. “We came upon her; she was confused and freighted. We didn’t know she was a Confessor. She tried to escape, but she didn’t put much of a fight. She looked very tired, almost drained,” he recalled his Mistress state when he and Harus found her. “We took her and hid her in my tent. We were going to sell her in the next town without my father’s knowing; share the profits and spend it on women and wine,” he finished retelling his plans.

“What a surprise,” Cara spoke again in her extremely sarcastic tone. This time Kahlan glanced at the blonde and pursed her lips, silently conveying her agreement with the Mord’Sith’s words.

“Where is Harus?” Kahlan asked looking around the men. If Harus was not confessed too, he could tell more about this mysterious woman.

“I killed him,” Noran said unapologetically. “She escaped the camp after confessing me. Harus came inside my tent and said he was going to kill her for confessing me,” he revealed, shattering Kahlan’s hopes. “I had to protect my Mistress,” he said determinedly.

“Where did you find her?” Zedd asked, his eyes showing that he already suspected something and wanted confirmation from the man.

“In the woods, the ones we passed before getting here,” Noran answered the wizard.

“How long ago?” Richard asked, aware of his grandfather’s line of thought. In Cara and Kahlan’s faces a spark of recognition could also be seen.

“Three days ago,” Noran said to the Seeker.

Zedd and Richard traded knowing glances with each other. Cara furrowed her brow in thought at this new found knowledge and looked to Kahlan to see her reaction. The Confessor had her brown furrowed too and looked at Zedd questioningly. The wizard caught her eye and nodded at the strong possibility that this Confessor was most likely to be their mysterious magic caster from the woods.

Kahlan turned to Tyran. “Get up,” said in a steel voice. “You know now what happened to your son. It is my judgment that he deserved to be confessed if he was going to harm this woman,” she practically spat at him.

“Mother Confess-“

“I’m not finished,” she interrupted him. “You will compensate this town and its inhabitants for any and every one of the problems you and your men have caused. You will repair everything you have broken and will leave the majority of the gold I’m certain you carry with you as a compensation for the rest,” she ordered.

“Then you will leave this area, permanently. Since you are so eager to use your weapons, go to Aydindril and join the Midland’s army. Tell the commander I sent you there and share with him any information you have about the slave traders to whom you have been selling. Help the army to stop them,” she finished. “Did I make myself clear?” She asked, taking an extra step in Tyran’s direction, her assertive voice leaving no room for her commands to be questioned.

The man immediately took a step back. “Yes, Mother Confessor,” he said exhaling the breath he was holding and bowing his head. It seemed that after figuring out his mistake, the man was trembling at the thought of what would be the consequences to his reckless actions. He truly thought that the Mother Confessor was going to kill him right here, but she didn’t. His consideration for the highest authority of the Midlands increased ten-fold. She was ruthless, as his dead subaltern could tell. But she also was fair and tempered her judgments with mercy; allowing him and his men to leave here alive, with the penance of helping this people, testified to that. 

*****

To make sure the slave dealers would fulfill their penance, Zedd spelled the whole band. The spell would warn him if anything or anyone was harmed by the slave dealers. He told the leader that if that came to pass the Mother Confessor would personally track them down to bring them to justice.

After learning about the existence of another Confessor, Kahlan informed her companions that it was her duty to investigate this surprising event. Richard readily made himself available to help her find the new Confessor. The brunette thanked him, but reminded the Seeker that he had a quest to complete. Surprisingly, Richard didn’t argue and offered his tracking abilities to help Kahlan pick up the Confessor’s trail at the slave dealer’s camp. Zedd and Cara followed Richard and Kahlan in the direction of the camp.

Once there, Richard easily picked up a trail leaving Noran’s tent. They followed it for a while and the small footsteps directed them to the road that connected this town to the next. Richard opened the compass on his hand and saw that it pointed in the same direction of the Confessor’s trail. The Seeker smiled triumphantly at Kahlan. When she saw his expression, the brunette realized that he didn’t argue with her before because he was hoping the compass would point in the same direction of the unknown Confessor’s footsteps. They would be traveling in the same direction after all.

The group of four walked down the road, following the compass and the mysterious Confessor’s trail. After only a dozen of steps Richard noticed that the Confessor’s trail disappeared. But his keen eye caught the end of the trail next to a wagon’s marks on the road. The Seeker deduced that the Confessor must have had gotten inside a wagon, probably belonging to a merchant. The other three approved his assessment and they continued walking in the same direction.

Richard and Kahlan were walking side by side at the front. Zedd was behind them and Cara was a couple of paces behind the wizard, her senses highly tuned to her surroundings. Richard brought up the thing all of them were thinking about.

“A Confessor?” he started, with a surprised expression. “How is that possible? Did the Mord’Sith leave someone alive back in Valeria?” he asked offhandedly, turning around to look at Cara.

The Mord’Sith gave him a warning stare, shifting her eyes to look pointedly at Kahlan’s back and then looking back at Richard intensely. “I already told you what happened in Valeria,” she said curtly, hoping Richard would understand her hint and shut up.

Richard was taken aback by the blonde’s intense stare, but her words made him instantly realize that his question would trigger bad memories for Kahlan. He was further surprised as he noticed that Cara didn’t chastise him for questioning her sister’s efficacy in killing the Confessors. Instead, the blonde was worried with what the mention of that incident could do to the brunette. _Kahlan sure is rubbing off on her_ , Richard thought. Aware of his mistake, Richard turned his attention to Kahlan.

“Kahlan, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean,” he said apologetically, with soft expression.

“I know Richard; it’s okay, don’t worry,” Kahlan said with a small smile that didn’t quite reach eyes, putting the Seeker at ease. The truth was she didn’t feel upset with Cara now, when she thought about what happened in Valeria. Of course, she would always be sad thinking about the death of her fellow Confessors. Of course, she hated that her sister had to kill her son and die at the end of an agiel; Cara’s agiel. But she tempered her rage with the knowledge that the blonde had been just a weapon wielded by Darken Rahl. And when she thought about what Cara had told her, that she had killed her sister swiftly, she believed that; she believed that even back then Cara found ways to do her master’s biding with a small personal twist. The Mord’Sith had been proud of fulfilling her missions, but she still could have recognized honor in Dennee’s actions and how Kahlan’s sister didn’t deserve an exceptionally painful death after killing her only son to save him from Darken’s claws. Cara had been merciful, in her way; as much as she could have been under than monster’s rule. 

“So how is it possible that another Confessor exists?” Kahlan turned the conversation away from those memories. “The Night Wisps looked all over for any Confessor that might be alive, they only found Annabelle,” she recalled what had happened after she had that warning dream. “We drained her power with the Quillion; she’s not a Confessor anymore,” she added.

“Could someone create a new Confessor?” Richard asked Zedd.

“It’s probably possible, but it would take extremely powerful magic,” Zedd said. “Only someone with great power could attempt something like that. And even then, it would probably take more than one wizard or sorceress,” he mused. 

“Could Nicci do it?” Richard asked, remembering that Nicci was in possession of an incredible powerful Han.

“Why would Nicci want a Confessor?” asked Cara.

“To steal her power maybe,” said Richard thoughtfully. “From what Noran said, this Confessor looked like she was on the run,” he theorized from the information he had.

“Or running towards something,” Zedd hypothesized. “I don’t think Nicci did it, my boy. It would have been easier to bestow that power directly on herself,” the wizard said with certainty. 

“What if someone stole the Quillion holding Annabelle’s power?” asked Cara nonchalantly.

The other three stopped and turned to look at her. Their faces showed that this was a strong possibility for what may have happened.

“That could very well be it,” Zedd was the first to voice his thoughts. “But with what intention?” he pondered.

Richard raised his brown and sighed. Without more information they were unable to come up with a plausible justification for what they had figured out. If they were right.

Cara just started to walk again. Being rooted to one spot was not going to solve the riddle for them; they had a quest to get back to. When she passed Kahlan she noticed how lost in thought the Confessor looked. “No use on melting our brains looking for an answer now,” Cara said without turning around, bringing the rest of them out of their thoughts. “Let’s continue to look for the stone and see if some other clues appear,” she said.

A small smile appeared on Kahlan’s lips. She nodded her head and started walking again. Zedd and Richard right behind her. The Confessor recognized Cara’s words for what they really were; a way of cheering her up. She was absolutely right about what she had said to Richard the day before: to truly listen to Cara, you had to pay attention to what the Mord’Sith didn’t say.

*****

That night they made camp off the road, as always. Dinner was uneventful and everyone was asleep for a while now.

Everyone except Cara, that is, she had first watch. The blonde was sitting on her bedroll, her back resting on a log in front of the fire. She was keenly aware of the world around her. _Especially if a possibly dangerous Confessor was on the loose_ , she thought.

There was also an annoying sound she had been hearing from Kahlan’s bedroll for a while now which hadn’t stop yet, as Cara had been expecting. It looked like she was going to need to do something to make it stop; so she did.

“That doesn’t sound like _just a bruise_ ,” Cara noted, knowing that Kahlan would hear her. The Confessor was turning this way and that on the bedroll; trying to find a comfortable position. She had hurt her back when she fell to the ground earlier, pushed by Cara. The cold air of the night wasn’t helping her sore muscles to relax and as a result, she was having a hard time falling asleep.

Kahlan stopped her pitiful movements and sighed loudly. “Maybe I misjudged the gravity of the injury,” Kahlan admitted reluctantly. “But don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” she said dismissively. 

“Your little dance on the bedroll is extremely annoying. I’ll wake up Zedd to help you with the pain,” Cara said, getting up from her warm spot in front of the fire.

Kahlan thought about telling Cara to stop and don’t wake up the wizard. But the word _stop_ would not even reach Cara’s ears, so she opted for a more effective and fun way.

“Are you feeling guilty for pushing me to the ground like a sack of flour, so I ended up hitting my back on a rock?” she asked innocently, her voice not much louder than a whisper.

As predicted Cara halted straight away. The Mord’Sith took two steps in Kahlan’s direction and stopped with her back to the fire. She put her hands on her hips and raised a single unimpressed eyebrow before speaking to Kahlan. 

“You are not seriously suggesting that I feel guilty for saving your life, _again_ , are you Confessor?” she asked smugly, sucking in one of her cheeks. The volume of her voice equaling Kahlan’s, in order to avoid waking up the two men.

“Well, when you put it that way,” Kahlan said smiling, raising herself on her elbows. She couldn’t hold the whimper that left her lips at the movement. She cautiously raised her gaze to Cara to see if the blonde had noticed.

“There’s no other way to put it,” Cara stated dryly. “And I heard that, I’m going to wake up Zedd,” she turned around, intending to wake up the snoring wizard.

Kahlan huffed. _Of course she noticed_ , she thought. It was really hard to fool the Mord’Sith; even more if she was on to something. “There’s no need for that Cara,” she said a little more forceful to the blonde.

“Yes, there is. You’ve been whining for a while now,” Cara stubbornly retorted, gesturing with one hand in the Confessor’s direction.

“I was not whining,” Kahlan whispered indignantly. 

“Oh, yes you were Confessor,” Cara contradicted her tauntingly. “But since you insist in not waking the wizard, you’re coming with me,” she said simply, retreating to her spot at the fire.

When she didn’t hear Kahlan get up, she looked over her shoulder, “Do you need help?” the blonde asked.

“No, I can get up by myself,” the brunette responded, watching as Cara sat down on her bedroll. The blonde made herself comfortable on her previous spot; back against the log, facing the glowing fire. Kahlan got up, wincing at the pain on her lower back, picked up her own bedroll and walked towards the Mord’Sith.

“You can be really bossy,” she told the blonde once she was standing next to her.

Cara raised her eyes to look at her. “That’s one of my many qualities,” the blonde said with a teasing smirk.

Kahlan just raised an eyebrow and chuckled quietly. The brunette had her bedroll in her arms and her back was really starting to hurt. She looked at Cara with a questioning look. “So, what is your plan?” the Confessor asked, hesitantly looking around the fire area.

Cara didn’t answer, she just leaned back and motioned for Kahlan to sit between her legs.

“You want me to sit… _there_ ,” Kahlan said, stuttering slightly and pointing to the small space between Cara’s strong legs.

“Yes, you guessed right, congratulations,” the blonde said in a flat tone, but a spark of mischievous was perfectly clear in her eyes for Kahlan to see. “Come on, I promise you’ll be more comfortable and warmer. It’ll be good for your back,” Cara said, explaining her motives to Kahlan. The brunette still was somewhat unsure. “I don’t bite, Confessor,” Cara added huskily, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow and tilting her head in a teasing manner.

“Don’t get so smug, _Mord’Sith_ ,” Kahlan said cleverly, shaking her head. “I’m not afraid of your bites,” she whispered in a husky tone that could rival Cara’s, while she seated herself between the blonde’s leather covered legs. 

Cara was a little surprised with Kahlan’s response. Not so much at the words, but at the tone they were delivered in. The Mother Confessor was definitely a woman full of surprises. Instead of replying verbally, she smirked. The blonde took Kahlan’s bedroll from her hands and put it around the Confessor’s body; effectively covering the brunette and the lower half of herself. After making sure Kahlan was covered, Cara pulled the Confessor’s back flush against her front.

Kahlan let herself be pulled backwards into the Mord’Sith’s warm body and rested her head in Cara’s left shoulder. The blonde took off her gloves and put her hands on Kahlan’s tense shoulders, starting a light and soothing massage. The brunette’s muscles were tense from the strain of her back hurting and quite possibly from the stress of the day’s events. Cara knew that in order to help lessen the Confessor’s pain she had to do something to relax her muscles; a massage was the first thing that came to her mind. Kahlan let out a deep moan and buried her nose on the nook between the blonde’s shoulder and neck, inhaling Cara’s calming scent. 

“That feels so good,” Kahlan whispered breathily, instinctively arching her back and moaning again. “I didn’t realize I was hurting so much,” she whispered, her lips grazing the soft skin of Cara’s neck. Her hands, which had been on her lap, moved to Cara’s toned thighs. The movement of Kahlan’s back gave Cara’s right hand more freedom to move and start to knead the Confessor’s bruised muscles in the middle of her back. The blonde’s left arm moved around Kahlan’s stomach. 

Cara just gave a noncommittal sound and swallowed hard. If she had been surprised at the suggestive way Kahlan delivered her teasing words moments ago, now she was speechless by the primal display of pleasure from the brunette. Cara was starting to wonder if she thought this through. When she proposed that the Confessor sit in front of her in this position, it was to relieve Kahlan of the constant pain that was preventing her from resting. But now, the persistent pressure of the Confessor’s hands on her thighs was becoming an increasing distraction. Every time Cara kneaded Kahlan’s muscles, the brunette would squeeze both her thighs in sync.

Cara swallowed, not ceasing her movements. She struggled to keep her reason for doing this at the front of her mind, using the arm she had around the Confessor’s stomach to counteract Kahlan’s arching tendencies as she methodically forced the tension in the confessor’s muscles to relax. After what felt like an eternity, the Mord’Sith risked a glance down Kahlan’s body, but immediately regretted it. From her position, Cara could see the brunette’s tempting cleavage taunting her. The front laces on the white dress become impossibly taut over Kahlan’s breasts every time the Mother Confessor inhaled. Kahlan’s breath was raising goosebumps on the skin of Cara’s neck, something that didn’t happen often. Cara bit her lower lip; making a colossal effort to keep her hips still. She focused her gaze back on the fire and slowed her movements, hoping Kahlan wouldn’t ask her to continue because she couldn’t take this sweet torture anymore.

“Thank you, Cara. I’m feeling a lot better now,” the Confessor said, while resting all her weight onto Cara’s body. The back of her head was resting comfortably on Cara’s shoulder. The brunette was completely unaware of the effect she was having on Cara. “Are you okay in this position?” Kahlan asked distractedly. She had her eyes closed and an expression of pure delight on her face.

“Yes,” Cara said throatily, moving the hand at the brunettes back to join the other across the Confessor’s stomach. Kahlan’s response to her touch was enthralling. The way the brunette’s body had undulated at every rub from Cara’s fingers made the blonde catch her breath every time it had happened. 

“But your back will hurt,” Kahlan insisted; her worry for the Mord’Sith’s comfort returning some of her focus. “I’m not exactly light as a feather,” she commented.

“I’m not exactly weak as a chicken,” Cara replied automatically, still staring at the flames.

Kahlan blurted out a deep laugh. She immediately covered her mouth with her left hand, trying to muffle the sudden loud sound. The effort of holding her laugh made her entire frame shook and consequently it made her back hurt. “Don’t make laugh Cara, it hurts my back,” she admonished the Mord’Sith once her laughter calmed down. 

“I wasn’t making you laugh, Confessor,” Cara said, struggling to keep a straight face, but letting a small smile escape due to the wonderful image of Kahlan laughing so lightheartedly. “I was just following your metaphor,” the blonde justified herself, looking sideways at Kahlan.

Kahlan turned her head on Cara’s shoulder to squint her eyes good-naturedly at the blonde. “Are you really okay, though?” she insisted softly, resting her arm on top of the bedroll.

Cara rolled her eyes and huffed. “You know why you can’t sleep?” the blonde asked, looking at Kahlan with a raised eyebrow. “Because you keep talking,” Cara whispered confidently. Kahlan just raised her brow, sensing that the striking woman had something more to say. “Try this, shut up, lean on me and close your eyes. Let’s just give it a try, maybe it will work,” Cara said seriously. Kahlan needed to rest; hopefully this accommodation improvement would help her achieve that. 

“Maybe you’re right,” Kahlan whispered, a contented smile painting her rosy lips. 

“I always am,” Cara asserted, giving a curt nod. She turned her head to look back at the fire. 

Kahlan returned her left arm to the warmth beneath the bedroll, generated by their combined body heat. But this time, she rested her hand on top of Cara’s, intertwining their fingers together. The brunette turned her head to look at Cara’s face, lifting her right hand from Cara’s thigh and cupping the blonde’s right cheek. The Mord’Sith skin was so velvet like, so warm; touching it was a thrilling experience. That morning she had experienced a large expanse of her skin in contact with Cara’s. But this soft and simple touch, just holding Cara’s cheek on her palm, was equally intense.

Cara was staring fixedly at the fire. The ferocious flames reflected in her beautiful green eyes contrasting with the peaceful expression on her stunning face. Kahlan felt as if her chest couldn’t contain her happiness; here, encased in this woman’s shielding arms. The brunette felt like nothing could harm her inside this embrace. When Cara leaned into Kahlan’s palm, the Confessor felt a rush of tenderness for this woman. Letting that feeling guide her, she moved her lips a couple of inches and kissed Cara in the sweet spot below her ear. Kahlan let her lips linger for a brief moment, long enough to be considered more than a friendly peck. The Confessor closed her eyes and let herself relax into the warmth that had nothing to do with the fire, but everything to do with being this intimate with Cara.

Eyes still shut Kahlan felt Cara swallow under the lips she still had pressed against the Mord’Sith’s throat and ended her languid kiss. When she again let her eyes open and roam Cara’s face, she saw the blonde’s tongue peak out of her mouth and wet her full lips. In that moment Kahlan could swear her heart was going to jump out of her chest. 

Cara felt a heart thump between their bodies. She wasn’t sure if it was hers or Kahlan’s that was source of this fast and powerful beat. She could see, from the corner of her eye, Kahlan’s stare locked on her mouth. After wetting her lips, she bit softly on her lower lip, holding the supple flesh for a second between her teeth. At this, she felt more than heard Kahlan’s gasp on her neck. Cara turned her head in the brunette’s direction and the sight took her breath away. Kahlan looked simply angelic. Her bright blue eyes, looking at her so openly. Her soft lips, parted as if thirsty for something unknown. Her dark, long and wavy hair, framing her face perfectly and shining with the fire’s reflection. The freckles that kissed her face, inviting Cara to do the same thing. All those details where burned in her memory. All except one; the taste of those enchanting lips. 

Cara’s intense gaze, roaming her face reverently, made Kahlan’s chest stricken with emotion. She couldn’t deny anymore the attraction between them. It was practically palpable right now. In the back of her mind, Kahlan heard a voice telling her this was wrong. Whispering to her that this was a horrible betraying to Richard. But right here and now, she didn’t have the strength to resist this; to separate herself from the only person in her life, man or woman, that made her feel like she could fly. Her mouth was already on course to meet the one belonging to this exquisite woman, when they both heard an unsure voice.

“Kahlan?” Richard asked in a tremulous voice.

The brunette froze. She only had the presence of mind to remove her hand from Cara’s face and tuck it beneath her bedroll. The rest of her body was completely paralyzed. Cara assigned herself the task of looking into Richard’s eyes. Surely, he had seen them and was less than trilled about it. But when she glanced his way, she noticed that he was looking at the spot where Kahlan’s bedroll had previously been.

“Oh, there you are,” the Seeker said happily after turning to look at them, finally spotting Kahlan’s whereabouts. His voice was still uneven and rough due to having just wake up. 

Cara remained unmoving for a second, assessing Richard’s body language to make sure the Seeker hadn’t looked at them before now. Kahlan had her eyes close and didn’t move an inch. The only sign that the brunette was awake and extremely nervous, was the deadly grip she had on Cara’s ungloved hands under the blankets. Wanting to put Kahlan at ease, the blonde spoke to Richard.

“She’s sleeping,” the Mord’Sith said at last, her voice not transpiring any emotion. Her training was very useful. “Her back was hurting, I let her lean on me to support her weight and thus alleviate the pain,” Cara explained, apparently without any interest; but this close, Kahlan could feel the effort it took the Mord’Sith to control her breathing.

“Oh, that was a good idea,” Richard said approvingly. “Are you okay there, Cara?” the Seeker asked smirking. He obviously thought that Cara must be hating to be this close to someone else. “You want me to pick her up and lay her next to me?” he suggested, his voice carrying a hint of hope.

When Kahlan heard the Seeker’s last sentence, she squeezed Cara’s hands tighter and carefully buried her face deeper in the blonde’s warm neck. Making sure the Mord’Sith understood that she had no desire to leave Cara’s arms.

“I’m perfectly fine,” Cara said hastily, understanding Kahlan’s silent plea. “It’s best not to move her, now that she found a comfortable enough position to fall asleep,” Cara explained to the Seeker. “You should rest too, Lord Rahl,” she suggested, trying to end this conversation. Cara used Richard’s title purposefully; to remind herself that she swore to serve him. Desiring Lord Rahl’s future mate was an act of treason. One she wasn’t capable of not committing, apparently. 

Richard frowned at the use of the title; it had been a while since Cara used it to address him. “Yes, I should. Wake me in a while for my watch,” he reminded the blonde and lay down again.

The Mord’Sith just turned her head back to the fire, not bothering to reply.

Kahlan shifted almost imperceptibly and continued to hold tightly to Cara’s hands. She realized that she had to seriously think about all the new powerful emotions surging in her. Keeping things as they were now was not an option anymore. Her attraction to Cara was becoming more evident with every moment the two shared. And what did Cara think about their exchanges? Were these moments as meaningful to the blonde as they obviously were for the brunette? How could she tell Richard about her change of heart? The Seeker would surely be devastated. Kahlan was in no condition to think about all this right now; but she will have to do it very soon.

The Confessor was aware that the conversation had ended, but her feelings remained as they had during the entire talk. She felt herself spinning and her breath was coming erratically. When the sensation was becoming almost too much for her to handle, she felt strong arms surrounding her more firmly and reassuringly. Cara’s arms. The Mord’Sith had a way of speaking with her body that always left Kahlan mesmerized. That comforting touch calmed her progressively, until she was languidly sprawled on the blonde’s front. One of her hands still entwined with Cara’s; the other going to rest on top of Cara’s other arm, encircling Kahlan’s waist. Her face was buried on Cara’s neck, inhaling that sweet familiar scent and feeling the softness of the blonde’s tanned skin.

“Are you okay?” Cara asked, her voice softer than Kahlan had ever heard it.

The Confessor couldn’t speak, she just nodded her agreement.

“Get some sleep, Kahlan,” Cara whispered, hugging the brunette more securely. 

Right before she fell asleep, Kahlan realized that Cara’s heart beat sounded like a soothing lullaby.

Richard slept through the night like he hadn’t done in a long time, because Cara didn’t wake him up. She didn’t move an inch until dawn came, her cargo too precious to be disturbed.


	7. Chapter 7

When the sun rose the next morning, Cara was in almost exactly the same position she had been in for hours. Her back was resting against the log, legs bent with the heels of her feet firmly planted on the ground, and a slumbering Confessor snuggled against her body. Cara thought it was about time to wake up everybody and prepare to leave, but when she looked down at Kahlan’s relaxed face she couldn’t bring herself to do it. _This is ridiculous. The lack of sleep must be affecting me_ , Cara thought, shaking her head at her own inability to wake the brunette.

Kahlan had shifted during the night; she now had her right side nestled against Cara’s warm front, her head still buried in the nook between Cara’s head and shoulder. The brunette’s left hand had made its way under the low collar of Cara’s leathers and had lay above Cara’s right breast. When the brunette had moved her hand there during the night, Cara had been startled. She had been torn about what would be better for her peace of mind: Kahlan removing her hand or moving it a few inches lower. But Kahlan had done neither. The brunette had just let her hand rest there, seeming perfectly at home beneath the Mord’Sith’s red leather.

Cara blinked, forcing her thoughts to disperse. She was about to wake Kahlan when she heard Richard alarmed voice shout her name.

The Seeker had woken disturbed by the sun’s light. When he opened his eyes, he blinked a few times, trying to grasp what was wrong. When it hit him that it was morning already and Cara hadn’t woken him up for his watch, he jumped up startled looking for the blonde Mord’Sith. In the second it took him to discover the blonde in the exact same spot as the night before, staring at him scornfully, his mind ran wild with the worst scenarios. As his racing heart started to calm, Cara met his panicked gaze with a raised eyebrow. Blushing, Richard looked down at Kahlan’s slumbering form, surprised to see the Confessor was still resting on Cara’s arms. Even with the Mord’Sith still looking at him as if he had lost his mind for jumping up like that, he got up and approached the two women to make sure nothing was wrong.

“Is everything okay, Cara?” he asked, scrutinizing the blonde’s face.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Cara retorted, returning Richard’s dubious stare with a bewildered stare of her own.

“No reason. It’s just that you didn’t wake me for my watch and when I woke up now, I was worried,” Richard explained his concern, noticing with a frown the way Kahlan looked so comfortable on the blonde’s embrace.

“You have no cause to be worried. As you can see everything is perfectly fine,” the blonde said, sounded boring.

Richard’s fears were calmed after seeing everything was okay, but he still was curious. “Why didn’t you wake me for my watch?” he asked. He would have thought that Cara would have done everything she possibly could have to get rid of the clingy Mother Confessor in her arms.

“I wasn’t in the mood to sleep,” she replied dryly and simply. “It didn’t make sense to wake you if I wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway,” the blonde added logically, with a raised eyebrow. Her expression didn’t show the usual cockiness he was used to see accompanying words like those. Cara seemed preoccupied with something; he almost dared to think the Mord’Sith looked worried, something he thought she was incapable of feeling. Or, at least, was incapable of letting it show if she did feel it.

Richard frowned. What would frighten a Mord’Sith? Especially Cara, who insisted on reminding him often that she feared nothing. “Are you nervous about the Confessor on the loose?” Richard asked Cara, assuming that was what was worrying the blonde. “You know we have your back; we won’t let her confess you,” he added smiling and squeezed Cara’s shoulder reassuringly with one hand.

The blonde turned her head to glare at the Seeker’s hand on her shoulder. “To confess me she had to succeed in touching me first, wouldn’t she?” Cara said smartly, meeting Richard’s eyes again with smug expression showing on her face. “And to avoid her touch I don’t need your help; I’m perfectly capable of doing that on my own,” the Mord’Sith added firmly.

Richard just smirked and nodded his head. Cara didn’t look worried now, maybe he was projecting his own concerns on the Mord’Sith. After the way he woke this morning, he was still a little out of sorts, and he couldn’t deny that the missing confessor frightened _him_ , a little.

With her ear tightly pressed to Cara’s chest, Kahlan started to wake up with the rumbling sound of Cara’s voice. Feeling the brunette shift, the Mord’Sith turned her head to look down at Kahlan.

“Good morning, Kahlan,” Richard said in a cheerful voice as he noticed the Confessor starting to awake. “Are you feeling any better?” he asked concerned about Kahlan’s back.

The Confessor was not completely awake yet. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up in Richard’s direction, trying to disperse the sleep fog still enveloping her consciousness.

“You should wake up and get up quickly, or else Cara will probably chop your hand off,” Richard said teasingly, nodding down at the hand Kahlan had nestled beneath the Mord’Sith’s leathers. He had been surprised Cara allowed any of it; but maybe the Mord’Sith was forgiving Kahlan her unconscious actions. He doubted that tolerance would extend to the brunette’s waking state.

“My hand?” Kahlan asked confused as she used that same hand to push against Cara in order to get up; her eyes immediately widened and her cheeks burned bright red as she noticed exactly where her hand was. She froze, still sitting between Cara’s legs, and looked down, shocked, at her own hand.

“I’m going to wake up Zedd,” Richard chuckled and turned around, walking towards Zedd’s bedroll.

“I’m sorry Cara,” Kahlan said hurriedly, sliding her hand from underneath Cara’s leather. The tightness of the red leather covering the Mord’Sith’s upper body didn’t help to lessen the awkwardness of the situation. To free her hand, Kahlan couldn’t avoid the inevitable caress of the blonde’s soft skin. It was as if the leather was trying to keep the brunette’s hand there. After finally releasing her hand, the Confessor could have sworn she heard Cara sigh. “I didn’t notice where my hand…” Kahlan trailed off sheepishly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture and looking away to avoid Cara’s gaze. When she glanced back at where her hand had been, her eyes caught a freckle on Cara’s right breast. The Confessor stopped her fidgeting and was momentarily hypnotized by that new found detail. 

Cara followed Kahlan’s gaze and was amused by the brunette’s sudden interest on her chest. Teasingly, Cara inhaled deeply, making her leathers stretch against her breasts. The movement shook Kahlan out of her stupor and she looked up at Cara’s face. The blonde had a self-satisfied smirk on her lips and was looking mischievously at the Confessor. Again, heat flooded the brunette’s cheeks and she turned around with the intention of getting up.

When Kahlan moved to stand, Cara tighten the arm she still had around the Confessor’s stomach, preventing the brunette from rising.

“It did cross my mind what I could do with your hand, Confessor. But relax, it didn’t involve cutting it off,” Cara said huskily. The Mord’Sith was painfully aware that this was dangerous territory, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Is that supposed to make me relax?” Kahlan asked smiling, looking over her shoulder at Cara’s smirking face.

“You tell me, Confessor,” Cara said with a playful and yet seductive grin.

Kahlan smiled at Cara’s provocative reply, but didn’t answer. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she felt butterflies in her stomach at hearing Cara’s words and tone. She opted for putting her hands on both of Cara’s knees and squeezed them affectionately, before using them as leverage to get up from her cozy cocoon.

*****

“Good morning,” Zedd said, coming over to Kahlan as she was tucking her bedroll into her pack.

“Good morning Zedd,” Kahlan answered.

“It is indeed a good morning for you, my child,” Zedd said good-naturedly. “You look happy and well rested. Did you have a good night of sleep?”

“Yes, I slept really well,” Kahlan said with a soft smile, thinking back to how it felt to fall asleep with Cara’s arms cradling her.

“I’m glad you could rest after all of the excitement yesterday,” Zedd said.

Kahlan just nodded her head, unwilling to share the reason why she had slept so well.

Richard approached them with a small sack full of blackberries. “I just picked this for breakfast,” he said, showing them the fresh picked fruit. “Help yourselves,” Richard offered. Zedd motioned for Kahlan to take her share first and the Mother Confessor scoped a handful of the little fruits, giving Zedd a small nod of gratitude.

“I’ll leave the rest here,” Richard said, poising the bag on a nearby rock. “And go freshen up,” he continued, turning to go into the woods.

“I’ll go with you, my boy,” Zedd said. “Some of us don’t wake up with a radiant face and need a little water to perk up,” he said, winking at Kahlan with a smile. Richard chuckled and Kahlan shook her head with a happy smile.

She was watching as the two men walked away when she heard a voice behind her.

“What are you eating?” Cara said, stopping two steps behind the Confessor.

Kahlan turned around and admired the Mord’Sith’s stance; she was leaning her weight in one leg, hip cocked to the side with a hand resting there.

“Blackberries,” Kahlan said simply, a cheeky smile on her lips. She instantly remembered the last time the two of them had shared blackberries at breakfast. A few days ago, Cara had picked up a handful of those fruits and left them on the Confessor’s bedroll. Kahlan had ended up sharing the little fruits with Cara. The memory of her fingers surrounded by Cara’s luscious lips when she fed her one of the blackberries was enough to make her shiver with anticipation now.

“They look good,” Cara said licking her lips, her eyes on Kahlan’s instead of in the fruit.

“They do, don’t they?” Kahlan replied, popping a red berry in her mouth and looking defiantly at Cara with a playful glint in her blue eyes. The Mord’Sith noticed the playful sparkle in Kahlan’s eyes and tilted her head amused.

“Have you eaten?” Kahlan asked, fully aware that the Mord’Sith hadn’t.

“No, not yet,” Cara said, taking a step closer to Kahlan.

“You should eat something then,” Kahlan said, without taking her gaze away from Cara’s. She was enjoying the teasing banter with Cara; she loved this lighter side of the serious Mord’Sith, especially because it only became visible when they were together.

“I would have thought the Mother Confessor would be gracious enough to share her meal with a starving woman,” she said sarcastically, pointing to herself. 

“She is, but the Mother Confessor isn’t fully awake yet,” the brunette said, shrugging her shoulders and trying to maintain a serious face. “Only Kahlan has woken up completely, and she’s very greedy with her blackberries,” she said, not able to suppress a smile at Cara’s unconvinced expression.

“But I remember her telling me that she didn’t mind sharing with me,” the blonde said, lowering her voice and taking another small step that put her a few inches away from Kahlan’s body.

Kahlan’s smiled widened. Looking down, her cheeks got warmer with the increasing closeness from Cara. “I can’t go against my word,” Kahlan whispered. The Confessor lifted her hand with a berry in her fingers. Cara extended her hand as if she was going to take the small fruit from Kahlan’s fingers, but instead she cupped Kahlan’s wrist and brought Kahlan’s fingers to her mouth. Her intense gaze piercing Kahlan’s soft one. At the same time Cara engulfed the brunette’s fingers with her lips, taking the berry in her mouth, she reached for another berry in Kahlan’s other hand.

Kahlan’s fingers were still in Cara’s mouth when she felt a light pressure on her lips. She looked down slightly and saw Cara’s ungloved fingers offering her a petite fruit. She opened her mouth and let the blonde feed her the delicious food. Cara’s fingers were impossibly soft against her lips; the brunette found herself becoming more and more fascinated with the blonde’s skin. Cara caressed Kahlan’s bottom lip with her index finger, watching as the Confessor closed her eyes in delight, without taking her own fingers from Cara’s lips. Kahlan opened her eyes sighing, extracted her fingers from Cara’s mouth and returned Cara’s caress. The Mord’Sith’s lips were supple and full; Kahlan was transfixed by their velvetiness, but she couldn’t forget that they where not alone for long. Kahlan’s eyes shifted to the tree line and Cara took half a step back, understanding the Confessor’s concern.

“How’s your back?” Cara asked, clearing her throat.

“It still hurts, but its better, “Kahlan answered with a smile. “Thank you for last night; I slept a lot better,” the Confessor said gratefully.

“I’m glad you slept okay,” Cara said, looking at the ground.

“Yes, even Zedd mentioned that I look well rested,” Kahlan chuckled. Cara just nodded her head slowly.

“Did you sleep, Cara?” she asked, suddenly aware that the blonde didn’t look as well rested as she, herself, seemed to look.

“No,” she shook her head curtly.

“Spirits Cara, you were awake all night? Why didn’t you wake me to let you lay down?” Kahlan inquired, looking stunned at Cara. The blonde had held her all night long, not caring the slightest for her own well being.

“There was no need for that,” Cara said nonchalantly. “I’m okay, it’s not like I haven’t had been awake all night before. Mord’Sith are very resistant,” Cara said unfalteringly.

“Of course, I wasn’t implying anything different,” Kahlan said, her stunned look giving way to an amused smile. Cara just raised a warning eyebrow at her and tilted her head, her blonde hair framing her face perfectly. “Now, eat something more,” Kahlan said extending her hand in Cara’s direction. “You need to replenish your strength if you didn’t sleep.”

Cara reached for the blackberries in Kahlan’s hand and ate with the Confessor. After a few munches, they looked up as Zedd’s voice interrupted them; seeing the wizard walking towards them followed by Richard.

“I feel more awake now,” he said looking at the women. “You should go throw some water on your face too, Cara” he said noticing Cara’s tired features. “You don’t look so well,” he finished.

“Yes, some water will help improve my appearance,” she said, squinting her eyes at the wizard. “Although in your case not even the water helped,” she concluded smartly, walking away with a superior smirk and not even caring about the wizard’s reaction to her words.

Zedd was left with a dumbfounded face, at which Kahlan and Richard laughed openly. “I’ll have you know I look very good for my age,” he stubbornly shouted at the Mord’Sith’s back. Cara didn’t even bother to acknowledge the wizard’s retort, which only made Richard and Kahlan laugh more.

*****

“We made good time today,” Richard said, sitting beside the fire and looking at the map. “Tomorrow afternoon we’ll reach the next town,” he informed.

“Maybe there we will find more about the Confessor,” Zedd said beside him, while stirring the pot on the fire. The wizard was using his culinary skills to make a stew.

“There were no tracks on the road that indicated that she got off the wagon anywhere,” the Seeker recalled.

“We’ll see when we get there,” Cara said behind him, trying to clean the dust from the road off of her leathers. “I’m sure someone will address Kahlan if another man finds himself confessed,” the blonde said turning her head to look at the Mother Confessor.

The brunette was taking her bedroll out of her pack distractedly, lost in her thoughts. She put her bedding down and went to sit next to the fire, opposite Richard.

“We’ll find her, Kahlan,” Richard assured the Confessor.

The brunette lifted her gaze from the burning fire and looked at the Seeker. “I’m sure we will, but I can’t help but be worried about it,” Kahlan replied with a small smile.

“You should relax, my child,” Zedd said. “Maybe it’s a good idea for you to go make good use of the hot spring that I’m sure is nearby,” the wizard said, looking around for the right direction.

“How do you know there’s a hot spring here?” Richard asked his grandfather with a curious expression.

“This is not my first stroll in these woods, boy,” Zedd said. “I’ve been here many times before,” he said with a dreamy look.

“We don’t want to know about your dirty escapades, wizard,” Cara said curtly, interrupting Zedd’s obvious recollection of pleasant times.

Zedd could hear his grandson snickering next to him at the blonde’s remark. Kahlan closed her eyes and covered her smirk with a hand. The wizard looked at Richard in a disapproving manner before answering the Mord’Sith.

“As if I’m going to share with you how I pleased women,” Zedd scoffed.

“Good, I have no interest in it,” Cara said, rolling her eyes. “And I certainly don’t need any lessons on that department,” she added smirking and raising one eyebrow, crossing her arms proudly across her chest.

“You’re right,” Kahlan said, eyes glued to the dancing flames. Following the brunette’s comment three very surprised heads turned quickly in her direction. Getting up and noticing her companions stunned expressions, she became aware of what her words sounded like. The Mother Confessor hurried to explain herself better.

“Zedd!” Kahlan blurted. “I meant Zedd… Zedd’s right. I should… I should go take a bath in the hot spring,” Kahlan stuttered her clarification, pointing in the woods direction. Her cheeks red and her eyes focused on the ground, the brunette picked up her pack and took off without a glance at her companions.

Zedd furrowed his brow, staring after Mother Confessor with a pensive expression. He then glanced at Cara, catching the briefly worried look that appeared on the blonde’s face. He returned his gaze back to his pot, thinking about the effect Kahlan had on Cara. The Mord’Sith seemed to be very protective towards the Mother Confessor. _Maybe she’s looking after Kahlan because Richard asked her to_ , the wizard thought, shrugging his shoulders.

“This new Confessor is definitely getting to her,” Richard said quietly. “Maybe you should go with her, Cara; to make sure she’s alright while she’s there,” Richard suggested, looking at the Mord’Sith. Cara had her eyes fixed in the tree line where Kahlan disappeared.

“You do know that the Mother Confessor doesn’t need a bodyguard all the time, don’t you?” Cara asked Richard, turning her gaze in his direction. The Seeker needed to understand that Kahlan was not helpless.

“I know that Cara,” he said, a little surprised by the Mord’Sith’s statement and defiant tone. “I’m just worried and I trust you to protect her,” Richard said, smiling in appeasement at the blonde. “Besides,” he continued, his cheeks reddening a little. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go… while she’s bathing. You’re the best choice,” he finished, somewhat uncomfortably.

Cara rolled her eyes at the Seeker’s shyness. “I don’t know about that last part,” Cara muttered quietly to herself, looking at the ground. She then lifted her head and addressed Richard, “I’ll go in a moment, let her be alone for now. My guess is she needs it,” the blonde told Richard determinedly.

“Cara’s right, Richard,” Zedd said, nodding his head approvingly at the blonde’s words. “Leave Kahlan alone with her thoughts, she has a lot to process,” the wizard said calmly. He understood his grandson’s concern; but he also knew that Kahlan Amnel was a perfectly capable woman when it came to defend herself and now she needed time alone to relax and reflect. He couldn’t help but notice the way Cara was in tune with Kahlan’s needs and the Mord’Sith’s effort to provide Kahlan with what she needed. _Maybe her protectiveness toward Kahlan has its root in something else, besides Richard’s request_ , Zedd wondered. 

*****

Kahlan was relaxing inside the small pond the hot spring created. It was deep enough that she could stand with the water reaching just above her breasts, the bottom half of her long hair floating around her chest. The brunette rested her back against the pond’s wall; the top of her head was the only part of her that rose above the pond’s crater. She had fixed her eyes intently on the amazing colors of the horizon, painted orange and almost pink by the descending sun.

Kahlan turned around with the intention of picking up the soap she usually left in arms reach, when she finally noticed, disappointed, that she hadn’t brought the scented bar with her. She had no desire to go all the way back to camp to retrieve it, so she tried to clean herself as best as she could without it.

As the hot water gradually relaxed her muscles and a bright full moon made its appearance in the cloud free sky, she forgot the world around her and let herself focus on the thoughts running through her head. She once again rested her back against the pond’s wall and let herself feel without worrying if her companions would pick up on her distracted state and ask her what was wrong.

She was worried about this new Confessor, but until she had more information about what was happening Kahlan couldn’t do much more. So she closed her eyes for a moment a tried to clear her mind. Unfortunately, she was incapable of doing that; another perturbing thought invaded her consciousness.

Cara’s face appeared in her mind’s eye. Just that image alone made her shudder inside. It was more than obvious to her that she felt incredibly attracted to the Mord’Sith. Cara had a way of getting under her skin in the most wonderful of ways; something no one else had ever achieved. The blonde didn’t even have to be deliberately trying; the way she looked at Kahlan sometimes was enough to fill the brunette’s chest with a warm feeling.

Everything about Cara interested her. The blonde’s sense of duty and fierceness in battle were the first things Kahlan noticed appreciatively; though that could easily be explained as admiration for her warrior skills alone. But lately, Kahlan was admiring a different side of Cara; a side that she thought impossible to exist. The blonde noticed every detail and showed that to Kahlan when the brunette less expected it. Cara was always quietly attentive. _Like when she remembered that I love blackberries_ , Kahlan recalled fondly.

What made Kahlan more nervous was how she kept noticing Cara’s body lately. She remembered how she had felt when her skin had been glued to Cara’s as they had lay on that bed at that inn. How safe and peaceful she had felt encased on Cara’s strong, but feminine arms just the night before. How the blonde’s scent was enough to calm her down and excite her at the same time. How Cara’s ungloved hands felt at home in hers. How such a simple thing as that freckle in Cara’s breast had left her mesmerized to the point that she had forgotten where she was for a moment. How Cara’s full lips looked so inviting, always tempting her to taste them. How those piercing green eyes could see so much in her and tell her so much about their owner. How right all of it felt; how right it felt to be close to Cara. Her thoughts left her quivering with nerves and uneasiness. Kahlan closed her eyes and ducked her head under the surface of the water, suddenly uneasy about the path her thoughts had taken. She shivered as she surfaced back into the cooler night air, but knew her trembles were not from the chill alone.

“Cara…” Kahlan let a whisper escape her lips, closing her eyes in an attempt to silence her disquieting thoughts.

“Yes?” A voice said quietly somewhere above her. Kahlan almost jumped out of her skin when she heard that voice. She put her arms across her chest straight away, her modesty making her cover herself. When she looked up the brunette saw the Mord’Sith standing, towering above Kahlan from her perspective, on the rim of the spring, looking down. 

“Spirits Cara, you scared me!” Kahlan said startled, her cheeks flushing red.

“That’s one of the reasons why I’m here,” the blonde said, not perturbed in the slightest by Kahlan’s visibly flustered state. The blonde had her hands on her hips and her hip canted to one side.

“To scare me?” the Mother Confessor asked disbelievingly, turning around to better look at the blonde; her arms never leaving the protective position across her chest.

“No,” Cara replied nonchalantly. “Because you looked distracted when you came here, so we thought that having someone with you to watch your back would be safer,” Cara said seriously; but a small smirk appeared on her lips when Kahlan turned back around, molding backside to the pond’s wall in order to protect her naked body from Cara’s eyes.

“We?” Kahlan asked, her voice sounded drier than she intended. “You came to guard me because Richard asked you to, right?” she continued. This kind of treatment from Richard unnerved her more than flattered her. He might think he was being chivalrous, but he was just implying that she needed protection all the time; which she found more than a little insulting.

“That was _his_ intention, yes,” Cara confirmed, but before she could add the rest of what she wanted to say, the Mother Confessor interrupted her brusquely. 

“Why didn’t you do that from the tree line, then?” Kahlan asked, letting her frustration at the Seeker’s attitude show.

“Because you would find me there eventually, you weren’t _that_ distracted. And you might think I was trying to ogle you,” Cara said, turning her back to Kahlan and walking towards her pack, which was next to a large rock three paces away. Her tone was serious, but the half smile on her lips betrayed her teasing intentions.

“Why would you ogle me?” Kahlan asked, turning around to pear over the pond’s margin at Cara’s form rummaging through her pack.

Cara chuckled disbelievingly at Kahlan’s question. “Why wouldn’t I?” the blonde shot back teasingly. 

Kahlan was not surprised at the blonde’s come back and decided to continue Cara’s game. “What stops you, then?” she asked the Mord’Sith with a twinkle in her eyes.

“You,” Cara said simply.

“Me?” Kahlan asked, surprised. It wasn’t like she could do much to prevent the Mord’Sith from doing exactly that.

“Yes, Mother Confessor, that would be disrespectful of me,” Cara clarified, walking back to Kahlan with a bar of soap in her hands.

“It would be disrespectful because I’m the Mother Confessor?” Kahlan said, somewhat disappointed, gratefully accepting the soap from Cara and using it to scrub her arms.

“It would be disrespectful because you’re Kahlan,” Cara stated, looking down at the brunette with a raised brow. “You are a very private woman, who values modesty beyond my comprehension,” the Mord’Sith explained, shrugging her shoulders at Kahlan’s shy attitude when it came to her nakedness.

Kahlan gave a small chuckle at Cara’s confusion. “I thought you didn’t respect that when it came to women,” the Confessor said boldly, without taking her eyes from Cara’s. The Mord’Sith had this type of influence on her. In her presence Kahlan felt bold enough to say things like these; which she would be too shy to voice out loud with anyone else. 

“I do when the woman in question deserves nothing less,” Cara said quietly. The soft smile that graced her lips and the warm look in her eyes, confirmed once again to Kahlan that Cara had a very different side than the fierce and cold Mord’Sith that often show. Once again, Cara let her walls fall a little, as she only did alone with Kahlan.

The Mother Confessor’s face lit up with a sweet smile; but before she could reply to Cara’s obvious compliment the Mord’Sith cleared her throat and turned back around to walk towards the rock nearby. Kahlan was left so dumbfounded by that meaningful compliment, that she didn’t notice right away that Cara was taking off her leathers.

“What are you doing?” the Confessor asked uncertainly, watching as Cara finished the arduous task of unlacing her leathers.

“I’m taking care of the other reason that brought me here,” Cara said matter-of-factly while she peeled off the upper part of her red Mord’Sith leather.

“Which is?” Kahlan asked softly, distractedly; incapable of taking her eyes off the blonde’s beautiful back.

“Taking advantage of a rare hot spring,” Cara said as if it had been obvious to Kahlan. “You don’t mind me joining you, do you Confessor?” she added looking over her shoulder at Kahlan’s glazed look. “Your modesty will be… preserved by the water,” she said smirking.

“No, I don’t mind,” Kahlan said quickly, suspecting Cara had caught her staring. “I’ll give you privacy to undress and get inside the pond,” the brunette added, turning around to make good use of the scented soap.

“I don’t really need it,” Cara said chuckling.

The Mother Confessor rolled her eyes and shook her head amusedly at Cara’s response. The blonde woman felt so comfortable and sure about her body. It had shocked Kahlan a little when they started traveling together, but now Kahlan found the blonde’s confidence… very enthralling.

Cara left her leathers and undergarments on top of the rock and sauntered naked to the edge of the pond. She smiled when she noticed Kahlan facing away from her. Seeing the pond was deep enough, Cara opted to dive inside the hot water. Kahlan looked in the direction of the splash Cara’s body provoked feeling the water ripple as the Mord’Sith shot passed her out into the spring. Kahlan was waiting to see where the Mord’Sith would surface, when Cara breached the water suddenly, a couple of feet in front of her. The blonde’s body launched itself from under the surface, her back to Kahlan, all of her upper body outside the water. When Cara came back down, she swam backwards until her back hit the pond’s wall. She sighed audibly and rested her arms along a rocky protuberance on the wall, her left hand almost touching Kahlan’s shoulder.

“Do you miss this from the Mord’Sith temples?” Kahlan asked, admiring Cara in such a relaxed state.

“What do you mean by _this_? Taking a hot bath in the company of a captivating woman?” Cara asked slowly, looking sideways at Kahlan.

The Confessor blushed at hearing Cara’s description of the moment and consequently of herself. She nodded her head shyly, lowering her gaze to the water. 

“No,” the blonde said promptly.

“No?” Kahlan asked incredulous, looking back at Cara. That was not the answer she was expecting to ear.

“I never did this on the Mord’Sith temples,” Cara explained her answer.

“I thought Mord’Sith had large hot baths, where they bathed together,” Kahlan said confused, her cheeks were flushing even more and it had nothing to do with the heated water.

“You thought correctly,” Cara said nodding her head, but didn’t add anything more.

“You never participated in those baths? Is that what you mean?” Kahlan asked, very confused with Cara’s short answers.

“I did, a lot.” Cara said smirking. “I bathed many times in those hot baths, surrounded with even hotter women,” she continued with an insinuating tone. Cara turned her head fully to the brunette, seeing her mixed look of confusion, embarrassment and curiosity. “But in all those years I never found a single woman I could describe as captivating to me,” the blonde finished.

Aware of the meaning of Cara’s words, Kahlan smiled shyly and bit her lower lip. “That’s the second complement you given me since you got here,” Kahlan finally said quietly.

“I’m just telling you the truth, that’s all,” Cara said turning her gaze to the expanse of water in front of her and shrugging her shoulders dismissingly. Then, she turned to Kahlan and motioned for the brunette to give her the soap. Once Kahlan did, the blonde rubbed it between her hands and started washing her hair.

On impulse, Kahlan touched the Mord’Sith’s left shoulder and looked at the soap in her hands. “Let me help you with that,” she offered and extended her hand silently asking Cara to give her the soap.

Cara gave the soap back to the brunette, let herself be turned around by the Confessor’s soft pressing touch on her shoulder and enjoyed Kahlan’s hands massaging her scalp. The blonde relaxed under Kahlan’s ministrations so much that she let a breathy moan escape. Noticing the pause of Kahlan’s movements on her hair, the Mord’Sith knew the sound had affected Kahlan; so she smirked and moaned again, this time prolonging it more.

Kahlan’s hands started to tremble when she heard the seductive sounds coming from Cara’s mouth. The blonde was simply spellbinding. It never ceased to amaze her how Cara could compliment her and then dismiss it like something unimportant in the next second. Kahlan was aware that that was Cara’s way of protecting herself; the blonde meant every word, her eyes always betrayed her, but talking openly like that was something she wasn’t used to doing. 

“You know, I’ve never done this either, until I met you,” Kahlan revealed dreamily, after a while.

“Done what?” Cara asked vaguely.

“Taken a bath with a captivating woman,” Kahlan whispered sweetly in the blonde’s ear. The Confessor saw Cara start to turn around. “Time to rinse,” the brunette said playfully, before the blonde could complete her turn and shoved the Mord’Sith playfully under. Cara struggled against Kahlan’s hands keeping her under the surface. After a short while Kahlan let go of her hold on the blonde’s shoulders and backed off before Cara resurfaced.

“You’re aware you’re going to pay for that, right?” Cara threatened with a smirk, blinking her eyes rapidly and smoothing her hair back with her hands.

Kahlan shuddered under the blonde’s predatory gaze. Cara looked like she wanted to ravish her right there. When the blonde started to move closer, Kahlan splashed water at the Mord’Sith’s face in self defense. The Confessor felt so carefree, like a little kid, here playing in the water with Cara. A bubbling laugh started to emerge in her chest and she let it go with delight. As expected, Cara gave as good as she got and matched every last one of Kahlan’s water attacks. 

*****

After they stopped the playful war, the women got out of the pond to redress themselves. Cara respectfully turned around to let Kahlan get out and put her traveling dress back on first. When she heard the brunette clear her throat lightly, Cara got out of the water and put on her long-sleeved oversized shirt. Kahlan had her back to Cara, the brunette was using a cloth to absorb the excess of water from her long dark hair. When she didn’t hear the characteristic sound of leather being pulled tight, she looked over her shoulder and saw Cara in that poor excuse for clothing that didn’t even reach her mid thigh. 

Kahlan walked towards the blonde, leaving the coat she was about to dress on top of her corset on the ground. She looked the Mord’Sith up and down, noticing how toned her legs were. _Spirits, this woman is going to drive me crazy_ , Kahlan thought, smiling to herself.

“What are you doing?” the Confessor asked, noticing how Cara was positioning her leathers on top of the rock.

“I have to oil my leathers,” Cara said without looking up and pointing to a small bottle with oil inside. “Otherwise, all the dust in the road is going to ruin them,” she explained further.

Kahlan nodded her head, even knowing that Cara couldn’t see her movement since she had her back turned to her. The Confessor didn’t care because something on the back of Cara’s neck got her attention. She inched closer to the blonde and raised her hand to remove the few blond tresses that were preventing her to see clearly. She smiled when her suspicions were confirmed.

“What are _you_ doing, Kahlan?” Cara inquired, not moving away from the brunette’s ghostly touch.

“You have a freckle right here,” she said touching a finger to the back of Cara’s neck. “I hadn’t noticed it before. Your leather’s collar hides it,” Kahlan said.

“I may have a few freckles, Confessor,” Cara said, turning around to face a mesmerized Kahlan. “But I still can’t beat you on that,” she said with a half smile, letting her eyes trail Kahlan’s freckled kissed face.

“I guess you can’t,” the Confessor confirmed chuckling. Without hesitating, Kahlan took half a step towards Cara, leaving them a couple of inches apart. The brunette put her left hand on Cara’s hip and followed with her own eyes as her right hand traveled to Cara’s chest. With the wide neckline of the blonde’s shirt, Kahlan could see other freckles that were usually hidden by red leather.

Cara never took her eyes off the Confessor’s concentrated face. Kahlan appeared to be in a daze, her eyes capturing every inch of the blonde’s chest. The Mord’Sith looked down when she felt Kahlan’s finger touch her skin. The burning digit was leaving metaphoric scorch marks as it trailed across her tanned skin.

Kahlan let her middle finger start on the freckle under Cara’s right collarbone and trailed a line to the freckle under Cara’s left collarbone. Always following her finger’s trajectory with her blue eyes, the brunette finger crossed Cara’s chest to the freckle on the inner side of the blonde’s right breast.

Cara was awestruck by Kahlan’s stimulating actions. The Mord’Sith had her arms slack against the side of her immobile body. She could only move her green eyes back to Kahlan’s face, noticing how the brunette had her lips parted slightly and her breathing was increasing.

After tracing the imagined triangle on Cara’s soft skin, Kahlan flattened her hand on the middle of blonde’s chest and slide it upwards excruciatingly slowly. She noticed, mesmerized, as her hand raised small goosebumps on Cara’s skin. The Confessor’s hand stopped at Cara’s neck, cupping it tenderly and letting the thumb caress the freckle on Cara’s throat.

Finally, Kahlan lifted her gaze to meet Cara’s gorgeous green eyes and found the Mord’Sith staring intensely back at her. The blonde’s breathing was labored and the expression on her face was one of barely kept restrain. Kahlan felt her heart stutter at that fascinating sight.

“Cara...” the Mother Confessor whispered without conscious thought, squeezing the blonde’s hip.

Cara couldn’t restrain herself any longer, even if she wanted to. The Mord’Sith lifted her hands to Kahlan’s back and pulled the brunette towards her at the same time as she pressed forward and covered Kahlan’s lips with her own. The first contact was surprisingly sweet and tender to both of them. Kahlan lifted the hand she had on Cara’s hip and put it on the blonde’s shoulder; feeling the hot skin beneath it since the unlaced shirt collar had slid down, leaving Cara’s shoulder bare.

After that first warm touch of their lips, Cara parted her lips and tenderly sucked Kahlan’s upper lip into her mouth. Leisurely, she released it to capture Kahlan’s lower lip, letting her hot tongue lick across it when she had pulled it into her mouth. At Kahlan’s approving moan, the blonde slid her hand up the brunette’s back and buried it in the dark, long, and wet locks. Cara released the Confessor’s lower lip, only to deliver a languid open-mouthed kiss to Kahlan’s already swollen lips.

Kahlan moved both her arms around Cara’s neck, pushing their bodies flushed together. When their breasts pressed firmly together, Cara moaned obscenely as the rough leather of the brunette’s corset scraped at her poorly covered and sensitive nipples. When Kahlan heard that sound coming from Cara, she reacted by closing a fist around a lock of blond hair, darkened by the water, and tugged Cara’s head closer. The sting it caused on Cara’s scalp only made the Mord’Sith repeat the same sound, further exciting the brunette.

Without separating their lips, Cara sunk onto the flat rock behind her, pulling Kahlan along with her. The Confessor instinctively opened her legs to straddle the beautiful woman under her and gasped into the kiss as strong hands descended along her back to grasp her behind confidently. Taking advantage of Kahlan’s gasp, Cara let her tongue dance over the brunette’s rosy lips, asking permission to enter her warm mouth. To her pleasant surprise, the Confessor gave the permission Cara thought would be denied by sucking the blonde’s tongue inside her mouth herself.

The Mord’Sith explored Kahlan’s mouth thoroughly with her tongue, brushing it firmly against the roof of the brunette’s mouth. This act made Kahlan whimper, and Cara smiled slightly into the kiss when she heard it. Noticing the blonde’s amusement, Kahlan smiled too and bit playfully on the Mord’Sith’s lower lip. The Mother Confessor separated herself from Cara just enough to talk, her hot breath caressing the blonde’s lips.

“You’re such a smug litt-“ she was cut off by Cara’s hands on either side of her face and the blonde’s smirking lips attacking hers hungrily.

After a sensuous and passionate exploration of each others lips and mouths; Cara started a kissing trail from Kahlan’s lips, through her jaw line, until she reached the Confessor’s earlobe. The brunette shuddered on her lap as Cara lavished Kahlan’s earlobe with attention, alternating sucking and softly biting. The blonde drew her left hand up Kahlan’s back, one more pushing the brunette’s body close to hers. Her right hand left Kahlan’s ass to firmly grasp the Confessor’s thick and toned thigh. 

Kahlan laced her fingers behind the blonde’s neck and arched her back, trusting the Mord’Sith to catch her. Cara was pleasantly astounded at the abandon Kahlan was showing in her arms and immediately responded to it by moving her arms to engulf Kahlan in her protective embrace. As she completely supported the visibly pleased Mother Confessor in her arms, Cara buried her face in the expanse of white creamy skin being presented in front of her.

Feeling Cara’s mouth lavishing her chest, Kahlan sat up straight again in the Mord’Sith’s lap. She looked down, watching, enchanted at the delicious way in which Cara covered her chest with open mouthed kisses, soft nips and soothing licks. The Confessor was reduced to a moaning and quivering form. Aware of the effect she was having on Kahlan, the Mord’Sith let her tongue sneak an inch beneath the brunette’s corset and travel between leather and tender flesh until reached the spot Kahlan’s heavy breasts. Once there, the blonde repeated the movement, letting her tongue travel from Kahlan’s cleavage to the corset’s strap of her other breast. Never in her life had Kahlan felt as exhilarated as she was feeling right now.

The Confessor brought her hands to Cara’s face and lifted the Mord’Sith’s face to make the blonde look her in the eyes. What Kahlan saw in those darkened green eyes left her breathless. Cara’s eyes were equally filled with tenderness, affection, lust, desire and maybe something so much stronger; they reflected everything Kahlan herself was feeling.

Without deflecting Kahlan’s gaze, Cara approached the brunette’s lips again, only closing her eyes when she felt the sweet taste of the Confessor’s lips against hers again. This kiss was less urgent, but no less passionate. It was a trade of unspoken promises between them.

Less frantic now, Cara left Kahlan’s lips to go back to slowly kiss the brunette’s neck and collarbone; the blonde’s hands soothingly caressing Kahlan’s back and shoulders. The Confessor sighed deeply and contently. She hugged the blonde’s shoulders and enjoyed the gentle kisses on her neck.

As the lustful fog that had encased her mind lifted a little, Kahlan noticed that they had been like this for a while now. Richard was bound to come looking for them any minute; she didn’t want him to see them like this, it was not fair for the Seeker. She knew her feelings for Richard have changed; she was not in love with him anymore. But she did love him and didn’t want him to suffer. He had to know about her change of heart, but discover her trembling in Cara’s arms was definitely not the best way for him to find out.

“Cara,” Kahlan tried to draw the blonde’s attention, but Cara just kept kissing her thoroughly.

Kahlan smiled and delighted herself with Cara’s attention a little more; but then she tried again.

“Cara… we have to get going,” she said breathily, with more than a hint of disappointment in her voice, while she caressed Cara’s wet tresses.

The blonde gave no signs of hearing what Kahlan was saying, so the Confessor had to be more forceful. “Cara!” the brunette said more firmly and finally got a reaction from the distracted woman painting her neck with kisses.

“What?” the blonde said suddenly in a throaty voice, lifting her head quickly to look at Kahlan. Her eyes found a very amused brunette, with lips swollen from the kisses they shared.

“So that’s how a Mord’Sith gets distracted,” Kahlan said smirking, hugging the blonde’s shoulders with one arm and moving the other hand to caress Cara’s cheek.

“Mord’Sith don’t get distracted,” Cara defended herself, raising a defiant eyebrow at the pleased Confessor on her lap.

“Oh, really?” Kahlan asked with teasing astonishment. “You seemed very distracted to me just now,” the brunette contradicted, looking very pleased at this opportunity to tease Cara.

“I wasn’t distracted,” Cara said sighing and rolling her eyes. “Far from it, Confessor. I was highly focused on the task at hand,” Cara’s voice turned sultry and a seductive smile emerged on her lips; her arms tightened around Kahlan, bringing the brunette closer to her body.

Kahlan let out a shuddering breath as Cara’s arms encircle her more firmly and the blonde placed an open-mouthed kiss in the hollow of her throat. She responded by grounding her hips down on Cara’s lap, drawing a pleased sigh from the blonde’s full lips. The Mord’Sith took a moment to unashamedly stare at Kahlan’s perfectly shaped mounds.

“I thought that you respected me and didn’t ogle me, Cara?” Kahlan teased the blonde with her previous words.

“I have my limits,” Cara said, tilting her head without averting her gaze from Kahlan’s tempting cleavage. “And you, Kahlan, have been testing them for a while now,” she admitted.

“Is that so?” the Confessor asked with a shy but teasing smile, feigning ignorance. Now that the heat of the moment had passed, Kahlan felt a little self conscious. It wasn’t that she felt uncomfortable, but this situation was so new that she needed some time to get used to the intensity of it.

“You know damn well that is true,” Cara replied, looking back at Kahlan’s eyes with a feigned insulted face expression. Cara couldn’t believe what had transpired between them. The tension of the last few days finally had been released in this passionate encounter. The fact that a few kisses left her so satisfied told her that what she felt for Kahlan was something that she had never felt in her entire life. She was used to lust and raw passion, but she could see that although those emotions were present here too, they were modified by something else. Something more powerful. It made her afraid of what it could be.

“Maybe you’re right,” Kahlan said shyly, becoming nervous. “But I felt so confused and I didn’t know what you thought about our interactions. I’m still confused, but now I know that you also feel something for me too. That I wasn’t imagining things; that I wasn’t going crazy. I don’t know what this is; I just know it feels so good and so right. Do you feel the same or was this just a mistake for you?” Kahlan rambled nervously, her hands clutching anxiously at the blonde’s shoulders.

Cara was stunned for a moment after hearing Kahlan’s tumbling speech. She didn’t think that she had ever seen the Mother Confessor so nervous. In the face of Kahlan’s uneasiness Cara did what she thought the brunette needed to calm down. The Mord’Sith cupped Kahlan’s cheek softly and guided the Confessor down to meet her lips. After feeling Kahlan’s grip on her shoulder diminish, she ended the kiss to speak.

“This was definitely not a mistake for me Kahlan,” Cara said sincerely, surprising herself. When she had thought about Kahlan in the past, the Mord’Sith had always considered it a betrayal to Richard, to Lord Rahl. But now, with Kahlan straddling her lap and looking hopefully at her, she couldn’t remember why. “I’ve wanted this for a while now,” the blonde confirmed. “I don’t know what this is either, but I’m wiling to find out,” Cara said determinedly, looking deep into blue eyes and noticing that they were filling with tears.

Kahlan had a beaming smile on her face after hearing the Mord’Sith’s reassuring words. She blinked, happy tears leaving her eyes. Cara used her thumb to dry the brunette’s cheeks.

“We better get going now,” Cara said, her eyes never leaving Kahlan’s. “Or else we’ll be left to starve, because I’m sure the wizard won’t wait for us to start digging in that stew,” the blonde reminded them of Zedd’s voracious appetite.

Kahlan laughed at Cara’s comment and kissed her on the cheek, noticing how that made the Mord’Sith smile.

“You’re absolutely right” Kahlan agreed. “Let’s go then,” she said, getting off of Cara’s comfortable lap. When she did and looked at the Mord’Sith, she noticed that the blonde was still wearing her oversized shirt. “You have to put your leathers on,” she said nervously. “I’ll go pack the rest of our stuff while you do that,” Kahlan informed, turning around in her pack’s direction.

“Is your modesty making an appearance _now_?” Cara asked mischievously, acknowledging the motive for Kahlan’s rapid retreat. 

“This time it’s not about modesty,” Kahlan said over her shoulder. “It’s about self control,” the Confessor stated, winking at Cara.

“I’ll have to agree with you there, Confessor,” Cara said, putting her hands on her hips and nodding her head.

After Cara put her leathers back on, thinking as she did so that skipping this oiling session was definitely worth it, the two women went back to their camp. Both of them had contented smiles on their faces, with Kahlan’s being the most pronounced one.


	8. Chapter 8

As the sun rose in the sky, the day had grown increasingly hotter; by mid afternoon they were all glad to see the city approaching. As they drew closer, Zedd and Richard looked appreciatively at the tall wall surrounding it, craning their necks to take in the fortress like protections. Walking a few steps behind the gaping men, Cara exchanged an amused look with the Confessor beside her. Sometimes Richard’s Westland background was incredibly obvious. Though the city was a well know market, a center of commerce with several trade routs meeting at this point, it was no People’s Place or Aydindril. As Kahlan hid a smile of her own, Cara smirked openly, thinking Richard was lucky to be traveling with her; no pick pocket would dare approach a Mord’Sith’s companion, no matter how obvious a target he made of himself.

“It’s the Seeker,” a guard at the gate shouted to his unseen companions inside the walls.

“Here we go again,” Cara said, rolling her eyes at the enthusiastic way people welcomed the Seeker of Truth everywhere they went.

Kahlan chuckled beside her. Cara’s annoyance at people’s excited way of receiving them always amused her.

“Aren’t you glad that people are happy to see us?” Kahlan asked smiling at the peeved blonde.

“I wouldn’t mind if they were quietly happy,” Cara said dryly. “But they insist on throwing parties.”

“Yes, but parties are always fun,” Kahlan said with a smile, refusing to agree with the Mord’Sith’s opinion.

“Of course they are,” Cara said sarcastically, turning her head to look disbelieving at the brunette. “Like the one on Richard’s birthday, right?” Cara’s expression grew smug completely convinced that she had made her point by recalling the day they had passed trapped in a tomb.

“Exactly,” Kahlan said without missing a beat. “Didn’t you pass the majority of the time quietly and in good company?” the Confessor asked, looking sideways at Cara with a teasing smile.

“And almost died in the end,” the blonde recalled, with a fake cheerful smile.

“Oh, well, I only said it was fun,” Kahlan said, shrugging her shoulders. “I didn’t say it was perfect,” the brunette justified, unable to hold back her amused chuckle at Cara’s dumbfounded expression.

“My mistake then, Mother Confessor,” Cara said, mockery still saturating her tone. “I sincerely apologize for implying that was a bad party,” the blonde added, looking forward and raising her hands in a mock surrendering gesture.

Kahlan laughed at Cara’s playful attitude and couldn’t resist stealing a kiss on the blonde’s cheek. Cara didn’t look at her, but Kahlan could see the small smile that appeared on the Mord’Sith’s lips.

“Keep up girls,” Richard called loudly over his shoulder. “We’re almost at the city,” he informed them.

“We can see the city in front of us Richard,” Cara said bluntly. She never understood the Seeker’s need to share obvious information. They had eyes; they could perfectly see the massive city walls in front of them. 

The Seeker only chuckled and shook his head good-naturedly. By now he was used to these types of responses from Cara.

“We’re right behind you,” Kahlan said, picking up her pace to catch up with the men. Cara kept pace at Kahlan’s side and the Confessor turned her head to look intensely in Cara’s eyes. Her gaze silently expressed her desire to be closer to the blonde, although she knew she couldn’t be; not without being openly _with_ the blonde, and that was so much more complicated. When Cara looked at her just as intensely, if not more so, and smiled with a knowingly raised eyebrow; Kahlan knew her message was received and reciprocated. 

Since returning from the hot spring the night before what had happened between them had dominated their thoughts, but, with Richard and Zedd with them, the women had been unable to do more than share constant looks over the fire. After the entire day spent with nothing more than heated eye contact, they were nearing the city where they all would likely be spending the night, and both of them were looking forward to be able to share more than looks, in the privacy of their room.

*****

As Cara predicted, a multitude of people had gathered at the city gates to welcome the Seeker and his friends. They had to endure the people’s greetings before they got to the inn, intending to secure rooms and leave their things before they went to investigate the Confessor’s whereabouts.

“We would like two rooms please,” Richard said to the inn keeper with a smile.

“Surely,” the man said, looking from Richard to Kahlan, who was at the Seeker’s side. “The best two rooms of my establishment for the Seeker and his companions,” the man beamed.

“How much do we own?” Richard asked, taking his coin pouch off his pack.

“I won’t accept your money,” the man said, shaking his head from side to side and putting two room keys in front of Richard. “It’s an honor to house all of you in my humble establishment. Think of it as a thank you,” the man said.

“If you insist,” Richard said, smiling his thanks to the man “We appreciate your kindness.”

The Seeker walked to the stairs leading to the upstairs bedrooms followed by his other three companions. Once they got upstairs, he stopped in front of his and Zedd’s room and turned to look at Kahlan.

“Here’s the key to yours and Cara’s room,” he said, extending his hand to give the key to the brunette. He smiled happily at her as she took the key and busied himself with opening the door of his room. Kahlan smiled at him and walked forward, passing three doors before she got to the door of her room.

“This is it,” she said, feeling the Mord’Sith’s presence behind her. Kahlan opened the door and stepped inside. Cara followed her and closed the door behind her.

Kahlan walked a few steps into the room, stopping at the foot of the large double bed. The uncomfortable heat of the day making her backpack seem even heavier on her shoulders, but that unpleasant sensation was quickly ignored when she looked at the mattress in front of her and recalled the image of Cara lying on a similar bed, clad only in that distracting over sized shirt. Kahlan felt warmth lower in her belly, hyper aware that the blonde was just a couple of paces behind her. But conscious that they had to be downstairs to look for the Confessor, the brunette bit her lip and took a deep breath to calm her rising desire.

“We should leave our things here and go downstairs to see if we can find something about the Confessor,” Kahlan said, looking around for a place to put down her pack. She heard a thud behind her and turned around to see what Cara had done to make that sound. The brunette’s eyes widened to see Cara slowly walking towards her in a way that made Kahlan’s cheek heat with desire, the blonde’s pack left forgotten on the floor where Cara had probably let it fall. The blonde had a seductive look on her eyes, one that made Kahlan weak in the knees.

“Let me help you with that,” Cara said calmly, lifting her hands to the straps of Kahlan’s pack and slipping them down the brunette’s shoulders. The blonde did this unnecessarily slowly, taking advantage of the opportunity to caress Kahlan’s arms as she lowered the straps. Another thudding sound was heard as the pack hit the floor. Kahlan’s breathing increased when she felt Cara’s gloved hands making their journey back up her arms. Cara rested one hand on the Confessor’s shoulder and moved the other down Kahlan’s front, following her gloved hand’s descent with her eyes as it passed between the brunette’s breasts and stopped at Kahlan’s stomach. The blonde flattened her hand over the brunette’s white dress and lifted her head to meet Kahlan’s gaze. The unfocused and heated look on the Confessor’s face as she looked back at Cara was a clear sign of the exhilarating effect the blonde’s touch had on Kahlan.

The two of them were mere inches apart; Kahlan could feel Cara’s warm breath teasing her lips. The brunette never thought she would feel this much yearning for someone. She felt such a strong pull towards Cara, such an intense desire to touch the blonde, that it was almost physically painful to restrain herself from doing so whenever she pleased. Since the night before, they had avoided touching each other, fearing that Richard or Zedd would notice something. They contented themselves with meaningful looks, but that slight intimacy only did so much to assuage her need for the Mord’Sith.

The Confessor saw a smirk appear on the blonde’s face and felt a soft, but firm, push on her stomach. Kahlan was so lost in Cara’s eyes that she failed to react in time to avoid tripping over the pack behind her and falling backwards on the bed. The brunette lost her breath when her back impacted with the soft mattress and smiled up at the amused Mord’Sith towering over her.

“A little clumsy, aren’t we, Confessor?” Cara said, shoving the pack away with her foot and stepping in between Kahlan’s legs that were dangling off the edge of the bed.

“Hmm,” the brunette agreed wordlessly, stretching her arms above her head. “Maybe it’s because I’m feeling a little lightheaded right now,” Kahlan said, looking up into Cara’s green eyes with a big smile on her face. 

“Is there something I can do?” Cara said insinuatingly, crawling slowly after Kahlan up the bed, teasing the Confessor with her proximity.

“Yes,” Kahlan said, lifting one hand to grab the Mord’Sith by the low collar of her leathers, her eyes drifting from the blonde’s eyes to the blonde’s full lips. “You can make it worse,” Kahlan whispered hotly, pulling Cara down to meet her lips. 

Cara smirked and let herself be guided towards what had been distracting her all day long. The Mord’Sith kissed Kahlan heatedly and pressed her body tightly to the one under her. She felt Kahlan’s back arch in response. The Confessor’s hand went from Cara’s collar to the back of the blonde’s neck and the other hand slide across the blonde’s back, keeping Cara against her. 

Kahlan felt a shock pass through her body the moment Cara’s hot lips met hers. Despite Cara’s reassurances the night before that the blonde wanted to explore this… what ever _this_ was between them, Kahlan couldn’t help but be a little anxious about how the Mord’Sith would react the next time they were alone. Judging by the passionate way Cara was kissing her, the brunette clearly had nothing to worry about. She let herself get lost in the blonde’s kisses and felt her body react on its own to Cara’s attentions.

Cara rested most of her weight on one arm, in order to not crush Kahlan as she lifted her other hand from the bed to caress the brunette’s cheek, never ceasing to devour Kahlan’s lips with her own. The blonde let her hand slide down from Kahlan’s cheek to Kahlan’s neck, resting it there for a moment and feeling the accelerated beat in the brunette’s pulse point. The blonde’s hand continued its descent, running it between the brunette’s breasts and grazing it across Kahlan’s stomach to firmly grasp the brunette’s thigh.

Kahlan moaned into the kiss when she felt Cara’s hand travel down her body and unconsciously bent her leg to give Cara more room to caress her thigh. It was incredible how the blonde could make her feel this excited. She separated her lips from Cara’s to look at the blonde. Cara had an ardent look on her face and Kahlan was certain it was mirrored in her own.

“I’ve been wanting to do this all day,” Kahlan said sighing contently, gazing at Cara with a look of adoration. The brunette was enjoying immensely the way the blonde caressed up and down her thigh with one hand and looked down at her with a small smile racing her lips. The spell broke as Cara reacted to her words unexpectedly; the Mord’Sith furrowed her brow and looked away, making Kahlan feel insecure again about the nature of Cara’s feelings towards her. “Didn’t… you?” Kahlan asked nervously, letting go of the gentle grip she had on the nape of Cara’s neck.

“Of course I did,” the blonde said, looking back at Kahlan.

“You look uncomfortable,” Kahlan observed, lifting Cara’s left hand from her thigh and intertwining their fingers together.

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Cara said resolutely. “I’m just not used to this,” she clarified in a quieter voice, averting her eyes away from Kahlan’s yet again.

“I thought you had been with women before?” the Confessor said shyly.

“I didn’t mean _that_ ,” the blonde said smiling. “What I’m not used too is having someone look at me the way you do,” Cara revealed quietly, her tongue coming out to wet her lips in a nervous gesture and her eyes still not meeting Kahlan’s.

“And how is that?” Kahlan asked softly, knowing that the blonde was not forthcoming about her feelings, but sensing that this was a good moment to try to push her to talk about them.

“Like,” the Mord’Sith trailed off, shrugging her shoulders, not knowing exactly how to describe it. “Like you need me,” she finally said, glancing at Kahlan to study her reaction. Noticing that the Confessor had a reassuring expression on her face, Cara continued. “Like you need _me_ and not just the services I can provide,” she clarified, this time meeting Kahlan’s gaze full on to convey the importance of her words.

“I do need you, Cara,” Kahlan said smiling brightly and tucking a lock of gold hair behind Cara’s ear. “I need the woman, not just the Mord’Sith that is part of the woman,” Kahlan said seriously. “Because let’s face it,” she added to lighten the mood that was becoming a little too heavy for the blonde to handle. “The Mord’Sith can be a real pain when she wants too,” Kahlan said chuckling. “When she’s being stubborn and obstinate,” Kahlan explained further, raising her head to kiss Cara’s cheek.

“That’s not called being _a pain_ , Mother Confessor,” Cara said. “It’s called being assertive,” the Mord’Sith said matter-of-factly.

“Are you sure about that?” Kahlan said daringly, a playful glint in her eyes.

“Positively sure,” Cara said with certainty. “See? Confidence in my beliefs,” she said smugly.

Kahlan used her bended leg to roll Cara onto her back, ending up straddling the blonde and pined Cara’s arms over the blonde’s head.

“And now?” Kahlan insisted. “Are you going to admit that you can be quite aggravating?” she asked, pressing down with her hands on the blonde’s wrists and lowering her head to stare into Cara’s eyes as she bent over the blonde.

“Never,” the proud Mord’Sith raised her head a few inches and whispered close to Kahlan’s lips.

The brunette smiled at Cara’s predictable reply and kissed the teasing lips an inch away from hers. The kiss started slow and sweet, but it quickly escalated into a passionate one. Kahlan’s hands left their firm grip around the blonde’s wrists and caressed down the red leather clad arms of the Mord’Sith, until she was cupping the outer side of Cara’s breasts. The blonde released a deep moan at the feel of Kahlan’s warm hands on the side of her breasts, her back arching to push herself more fully into the brunette. When Kahlan tentatively squeezed the round and tender flesh beneath her hands, Cara sucked in a quick breath and bit down on the brunette’s luscious lower lip. Kahlan moaned appreciatively at Cara’s ardent response to her touch, the blonde’s unmistakable pleasure only encouraged her to explore further.

The firm pressure of Kahlan’s warmth hands on her sensitive breasts excited Cara greatly, making the blonde roll back her eyes behind her closed lids; thrilled with the Confessor’s bold attitude. She was used to being the one in control in these situations, but there was something terribly exciting in letting Kahlan be in control and explore the blonde’s body at her own pace. Although, that new found pleasure didn’t prevent the blonde from doing some explorations of her own too. Without hurry, Cara’s gloved hands left their inert position above her head and took a more active role, sliding down Kahlan’s back and taking a firm hold of the brunette’s slim waist.

Kahlan stopped the intense kiss and sat up on Cara’s thighs, looking down at her own hands on Cara’s breasts. That sight alone was enough to mesmerize her, but when she lifted her gaze to Cara’s face her breath caught in her throat. The Mord’Sith was breathing hard, her lips swollen, making them even more full. But what made Kahlan hold her breath was the unguarded look in the sea green eyes. Behind the wild lust that was clearly showing through Cara’s gaze, Kahlan could see a calm certainty. It almost seemed as if the blonde had reached some kind of decision and was now determined to accomplish it.

Kahlan broke eye contact and watched as her hands slide from Cara’s breasts to end up flat on the Mord’Sith’s abdomen. The Confessor felt Cara’s abdominal muscles flex as the blonde took a shuddering breath. The sound of the stretching leather confining Cara’s ample breasts attracted her attention and she lowered her herself to place a wet open-mouthed kiss on Cara’s cleavage, letting her tongue taste the blonde’s sweet skin.

The brunette kept kissing a line along the edge of Cara’s leathers, feeling how Cara easily surrendered to her touch. It was in moments like these, when Cara lowered her defenses, that Kahlan was certain that what they were building between them was something very promising, because Cara never surrendered to anyone willingly and freely. Cara’s reaction made the Confessor bolder and eager to see the stunning blonde squirm under her. When Kahlan’s hungry lips reached the swell of Cara’s left breast, the brunette used her hand to move aside the low-cut collar and sucked eagerly at the top of the rounded temptation.

Cara’s left hand shot from Kahlan’s waist to burry itself on the Confessor’s long locks, keeping the Confessor’s head close to her. The Mord’Sith groaned at the pleasing sensation and raised her hips unconsciously, consequently jostling the Confessor straddling her lap. The brunette instinctually pressed down into Cara with her own hips, moaning deeply at the pleasant sensation the contact caused.

“You’ll throw me off the bed if you’re not careful,” Kahlan said smiling, raising her head to hover over Cara’s. Without giving Cara time to reply, the Confessor cupped the blonde’s face in her hands and licked the blonde’s upper lip slowly, feeling its softness with the tip of her tongue. She grasped Cara’s lower lip between her own and sucked it into her mouth, biting softly on the rosy flesh before releasing it.

Kahlan looked into Cara’s eyes and sighed deeply, her blue eyes showing a mixture of contentment, frustration, and anxiety.

“I know,” Cara said huskily, but looking steadier now after Kahlan’s calming ministrations to her lips. “It would be wonderful to stay here all day, but we have a Confessor to find,” she put into words what Kahlan’s eyes had said to her.

Kahlan just smiled at the easy way the Mord’Sith could read her. It was amazing how the blonde was so tuned to her moods and needs.

“We do,” Kahlan said, sitting up on Cara’s lap, a light frown taking the place of her smile.

“Are you worried we won’t find anything or are you worried about what we could find?” the Mord’Sith asked, following Kahlan into a sitting position and encircling the brunette’s waist with her arms. Her expression, while stoic, did nothing to hide her concern about Kahlan’s fears.

“Both actually,” Kahlan said chuckling. “Did you just read my mind?” she asked playfully, but with a hint of seriousness that reflected her amazement at Cara’s astute question. 

“I don’t need to read your mind to know what worries you, Kahlan,” Cara said smirking. “I just need to pay attention and connect the dots.”

“Well, your deductive thinking is really good,” Kahlan complimented the blonde on her perceptiveness.

“I know that,” Cara replied matter-of-factly. 

“And very humble too,” the Confessor added sarcastically, amused by Cara’s unwavering self confidence.

“I’m not so sure about that part,” Cara said, furrowing her brow. Kahlan laughed, shaking her head at the blonde’s quick response.

“Let’s get downstairs to meet Richard and Zedd,” Kahlan said, although her arms went around Cara’s neck, showing to the blonde where exactly Kahlan wanted to be. “See if we can find anything useful about the Confessor,” the brunette said, playing tenderly with Cara’s hair at the nape of her neck.

“I know you’re the Mother Confessor,” Cara said with an amused raised eyebrow. “But I’m not going to carry you downstairs,” the Mord’Sith stated smirking, referring to Kahlan’s reluctance to get up from her lap. This got her a slap on her upper arm from a mock indignant Kahlan.

“Shut up,” Kahlan admonished playfully. “And let’s get going,” she said, getting up from Cara’s comfy lap and sliding off of the bed. The brunette took a moment to re-adjust her clothes and comb her disheveled hair with her fingers, eliminating the signs of what she had been doing with the blonde.

Cara got up from the bed too and walked towards the bedroom’s door, adjusting the agiels at her side and combing a hand through her hair unconcernedly.

“Cara, wait,” Kahlan called, watching the Mord’Sith stop and turn around to look at her questioningly. “Take this with you,” she said, approaching Cara and giving her a sweet peck on the lips, before stepping around the Mord’Sith toward the door.

“Not so fast,” Cara said grabbing Kahlan by her elbow and swinging her around directly into Cara’s arms. “That’s not enough,” she said with a half smile and leaned in to passionately kiss Kahlan. She encircled the Confessor’s waist with her arms and plunged her tongue into Kahlan’s waiting mouth, feeling the brunette’s arms move around her neck.

“A lot better, wasn’t it?” Cara asked smirking, once the kiss ended. Kahlan grinned in response and gave one last peck on the blonde’s lips before walking out the room, with Cara behind her.

*****

When Cara and Kahlan arrived downstairs, Richard and Zedd were sitting at a table waiting for them.

“I’m surprised you don’t have a well stocked plate in front of you wizard,” Cara mocked as she approached the two men.

“Considering the time it took for you to come down I could have eaten already,” Zedd answered to Cara’s jab, looking closely at her face to study her reaction to his words. To her credit the Mord’Sith didn’t even blink, disclosing nothing about the reason for their delay.

“That’s true,” Richard said chuckling. “What took you girls so long anyway?” he asked looking from Cara to Kahlan, who was quietly observing Zedd and Cara’s brief interaction from behind the blonde. Sensing the Seeker’s eyes on her, Kahlan couldn’t prevent the heat rising to her cheeks.

“A female matter,” Cara stated dryly, “But if you really want to know, I-“

“No,” Richard said quickly, cutting off Cara’s speech. “It’s none of my business,” he said, pursing his lips together.

“You said it,” Cara said dismissively, aware that she and the Seeker were talking about very different things.

The brunette blinked, noticing Cara’s double meaning - the blonde sure knew how to choose her words. Without lying, the Mord’Sith had effectively deflected Richard’s curiosity. Kahlan wondered about Cara’s vehement reaction to Richard’s backpedaling, however, when her musings where interrupted by Zedd.

“We’re all here now, so let’s talk to the inn keeper first and see if he has heard something useful about that Confessor,” the wizard said, ending the discussion about the women lateness. He caught Kahlan’s eyes and motioned for her to be the one to take charge.

Kahlan walked towards the inn’s counter to address the man that was there cleaning mugs. The others followed her, but stayed a step behind, leaving Kahlan to be the one asking the questions. After noticing the Mother Confessor walking towards him, the man immediately put down the cloth he was using and gave his full attention to the imposing woman.

“Excuse me,” Kahlan said kindly, smiling reassuringly at the nervous man. “We were wondering if you could help us with some information,” she said kindly, smiling to put the men at ease.

“If I can, I’ll gladly help you, Mother Confessor,” the man said respectfully.

“Did you notice a foreign woman arrive at the city in the last couple of days?” Kahlan asked.

“Forgive me, Mother Confessor, but this is a big merchant city,” he said apologetically. “A lot of people come and go. Maybe if you describe her, I can remember something,” he suggested, trying to be helpful.

“You’re right,” Kahlan agree. “I don’t know what she looks like, but she probably came here in someone’s wagon,” Kahlan supplied. “Have you heard anyone talk about picking up someone from the road?” she asked.

“That I did,” the man said smiling, proud to have something helpful to tell the Mother Confessor. “Last night the old Brejen was talking about a girl he picked up on the road,” he recalled. “From the little I gathered; I think she’s still with him. I don’t know details because I was serving the evening meal to the patrons and just heard bits of the conversation,” the man said, shrugging is shoulders.

“That’s okay,” Kahlan reassured, feeling her hopes rise knowing they were probably on the right track to find this woman. ” Can you tell us where we can find Brejen?” she asked.

“He’s probably at his shop at the market,” the inn keeper informed. “You can’t miss him, he is the only leather tailor there,” the man explained.

“Thank you for your help,” Kahlan said with a grateful smile, before turning around to address her companions. “Let’s go to the market then,” she said with a raised eyebrow.

They all nodded and walked out of the inn, heading in the market’s direction. Richard was scanning the crowd for anything suspicious, his hand resting ready on the hilt of the sword of truth. Zedd walked beside him, his senses alert to his surroundings.

Kahlan was walking at Richard’s other side, but slowed her pace to let Cara catch up with her. Kahlan knew the Mord’Sith deliberately walked behind her; Cara claimed it was the best way to protect her.

“Is something wrong?” Richard asked Kahlan, concerned.

“No, go ahead,” Kahlan reassured the Seeker with a smile. “I just want a word with Cara,” the brunette said. Richard pursed his lips in confusion but said nothing; he turned around and followed his grandfather down the road that lead to the marketplace.

“What is it?” Cara asked with a furrowed brow.

Kahlan cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable with what she was going to say. “I want to ask you something,” she started, looking determined but somewhat nervous. “I know it will probably not make any difference, but I just have to try,” Kahlan said, sighing.

“I’m waiting,” the Mord’Sith said expectantly, finding Kahlan’s nervousness a little odd.

“I don’t want you near that woman,” the brunette blurted out. “Stay behind a good few paces, okay?” Kahlan requested softly, hoping the blonde would acquiesce.

Cara put her hands on her hips and just looked at her, astonished, raising one eyebrow slowly. The Confessor promptly recognized the disagreement in Cara’s expression, but insisted anyway. “Cara, she’s a _Confessor_. We don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with,” Kahlan tried to reason with the blonde, but she could see that all she was accomplishing was angering Cara.

“You think I can’t handle a Confessor?” Cara whispered irritably, taking care to keep her voice low in order to avoid other people overhearing their conversation. Cara’s look was one of indignant fury; she couldn’t believe Kahlan was asking her to stay behind. The brunette should know that she would never agree with a cowardly thing like that.

Kahlan knew this was going to be Cara’s reaction to her request, but she had to try it. She had to find some way to protect Cara from this possible threat. “I know you can _handle_ a Confessor,” Kahlan whispered with a tentative smile and a knowing look in her eyes. Maybe alluding to their intimate moments together would distract the Mord’Sith enough for her to agree to not go near this unknown woman.

“Nicely played Mother Confessor, but, although that is absolutely true,” she paused to give Kahlan a meaningful look accompanied by a smirking mouth. “It’s not going to work right now. You want to now why?” she asked smugly, taking a step forward and invading Kahlan’s personal space.

To her credit Kahlan didn’t back off and met the blonde’s burning gaze squarely. “Why?” the Confessor breathed out.

“Because as well as I know how to handle a Confessor, I also know very well how to protect one,” Cara said firmly, her smirk disappearing into a serious and determined expression. “And not even you will prevent me from doing exactly that,” she finished, her eyes boring into Kahlan’s.

“But Cara, out of all of us you are the only one who can die… by confession,” Kahlan said, her voice starting out strong, but she ended the sentence in a voice barely above a whisper. When those words left her lips, she noticed how true they were. Cara could die by confession. The Mord’Sith could be killed with a Confessor’s touch. Not just this new Confessor’s touch, but her touch as well. That realization shook her to the core. This was not news to her; Kahlan knew very well what her power could do to a Mord’Sith. Yet, somehow, since she had discovered her growing feelings towards the blond and since she had experienced the intense and exquisite sensation of being the center of Cara’s amorous attentions, Kahlan had forgotten about that not so small detail. She could kill Cara if she released her power while touching her. She could kill Cara with her desire for the blonde.

Seeing the terrorized look on Kahlan’s face, made Cara realize what the Confessor was probably thinking about. At this moment, what was making Kahlan this afraid wasn’t the possibility of this new Confessor killing Cara. What was terrifying Kahlan was the certainty that if they took their caresses further and did what both of them painfully desired, she would end Cara’s life in the most agonizingly painful of ways. Cara knew this was true, but for some reason she refused to accept it and she absolutely refused to let Kahlan be afraid of being with her.

When Cara had been lying in their room’s bed, back at the inn, with Kahlan’s beautiful body straddling her and the brunette’s blue eyes penetrating her own, she felt whole. For the first time in her life, Cara truly felt like she had something that belonged solely to her; she would fight not for duty, but for herself and for Kahlan, even in spite of duty, in spite of who and what she had been trained to be. Their situation was complicated; there were multiple things they had to consider. Like Richard and the quest, like Kahlan’s power and the drastic effect it could have on the Mord’Sith. But even with all those complications, Cara was determined to do whatever was necessary to keep Kahlan at her side, happy. She was nothing if not stubborn, after all.

“Kahlan, look at me,” Cara requested softly, daring to lift Kahlan’s lowered chin with the tips of her gloved fingers. “There’s always a way,” the blonde said intensely, communicating to Kahlan her strong determination in those simple words.

Kahlan sighed deeply, but seemed calmer after Cara’s words. “Let’s go,” she said, her face turning into the mask of the Mother Confessor in preparation for what she might soon find.

*****

“It must be that shop over there,” Richard pointed to Kahlan, once the Mother Confessor got near him. Both he and Zedd were at the periphery of the marketplace square; Richard was standing on a fountain, which made it easy for him to spot the large wooden sign above the door of the building that identified it as a tailor’s shop.

“Let’s go there and find out for sure,” Kahlan said, starting to walk forwards, closely followed by the other three.

“Brejen?” Kahlan called uncertainly to a man that was carrying a box from a wagon to the shop.

“You can look at whatever you want, let me just…” he said distractedly, putting the box he was carrying on top of another one already on the floor at the shop’s doorstep and going back towards the wagon to collect another. He seemed to be Zedd’s age, judging from his white beard.

“It’s not leather we want,” Cara said dryly, making Brejen look at them.

“Oh, Mother Confessor,” he said, bowing his head in respect when he noticed who was in front of him. “Forgive me my rudeness, I never expected that you would visit my modest business,” he said apologizing for the way he received her. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Kahlan said, smiling in reassurance to the old man. “Are you Brejen?” she asked for confirmation.

“Yes, Mother Confessor,” he nodded.

“I heard you picked someone from the road on your way here,” Kahlan said. “Is that true?” she asked.

“Oh, yes,” Brejen said, his expression becoming sad. “I was traveling here in my wagon two nights ago when I saw her walking down the road, in the direction I was heading,” he explained. “I stopped and asked her if she needed any help. The poor thing was crying. Her dress was in rags and she was covered in dirt.”

“Do you know why she was there?” Richard asked next to Kahlan.

“She said she had escaped some slave dealers,” Brejen answered. “I told her to get in the wagon and brought her here with me. I gave her bread and cheese too; I could tell she was starving.” the man said, proud of his good deed.

“Did she want to get to this town?” Richard asked.

“She wanted to get out off the road,” Brejen said. “I think she’s scared; she just wants to go home,” the merchant said.

“Home?” Kahlan asked, raising her eyebrow.

“Yes, to Aydindril,” Brejen said. 

“Aydindril?” the four of them managed to say at the same time with stunned faces.

“Yes,” the tailor said, a little taken aback by their reaction. “Maybe you know her, Mother Confessor,” he supposed.

“What’s her name?” Kahlan asked.

“Alys,” the merchant revealed. “She’s at my cousin’s house if you want to see her,” he said.

“She’s still here?” Zedd asked, surprised that the woman was still in the same place after two days.

“I just stopped here for a couple of days,” Brejen said. “Tomorrow I’ll be on the road again, so I offered to give her a ride until a certain point, since, for now, I’m going in Aydindril’s direction,” the tailor answered the wizard.

“Can you take me to her?” Kahlan asked Brejen, her expression turning serious once she found that she was going to meet this mysterious Confessor now.

“Of course, Mother Confessor,” Brejen immediately agreed. “Boy, mind the store till I get back,” he shouted to a young man inside the shop. “Follow me then, I’ll take you to her,” he said, starting to walk towards the houses outside the market. 

Kahlan glanced at Zedd, seeing the wizard give her a reassuring nod. Richard jumped to her side, offering her his always present boyish grin. Cara’s face was as stoic as ever, the Mord’Sith looked almost bored with the whole situation. Kahlan glanced at the blonde and saw Cara slowly and purposefully fall in step next to her, conveying to Kahlan with her look that she had no intention of staying behind. The brunette smiled briefly before focusing again on the matter at hand.

*****

“That is my house,” Brejen said, pointing to a small cot ahead. “I live here, but I travel a lot doing business. Alys must be inside helping my wife in the kitchen,” he mused.

“Did she tell you anything about herself?” Kahlan inquired.

“Well, the girl doesn’t talk much,” he said, pursing his lips in thought. “When I asked her about her parents, she told me they were heroes of the Midlands,” he said chuckling, obviously amused with that answer. “Actually, the first person that came to my mind when she said that was you, Seeker,” Brejen said smiling, looking over his shoulder at Richard.

“Me?” Richard asked surprised.

“Of course,” Brejen confirmed. “These are tough times we are living in; the Midlands hadn’t seen a hero like you in far too long,” the man said. “And now that I remember, Alys will probably be ecstatic to see you all,” he recalled. “When I asked her in jest if she was saying that Richard Cypher, the Seeker of Truth was her father, she starting asking what I knew about you,” he said.

“She was asking about the Seeker?” Cara asked curiously.

“As well, yes,” Brejen nodded. “Although she seemed more interested in you, Mother Confessor,” he said, looking at Kahlan.

“What did she ask about?” Kahlan inquired.

“She just asked me to tell her how you helped the Seeker defeat Darken Rahl and how you are trying to close the veil to the Underworld,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I think it might make her miss home less. If she lives in Aydindril she must be used to Confessors, right?” the tailor said laughing.

Kahlan smiled indulgently at Brejen’s enthusiasm, but nevertheless traded questioning looks with Zedd, who looked as lost as she did.

“How do you trust a woman whom you met two days ago and leave your family alone with her?” Cara asked suddenly. She found the trusting way in which the man was talking about this woman a little odd. “She could be dangerous, you know?” she said reproachfully. Brejen’s disbelieving chuckle only left her more perplexed.

“Woman?” Brejen asked, confused. “Alys is just a little girl, she’s no danger to anyone,” he said still laughing. They had reached the cot’s door and Brejen motioned for them to enter while he yelled, “Alys, are you here?” he shouted “There’s someone here who wants to meet you.”


	9. Chapter 9

At Brejen’s revelation, that this woman they were expecting to find was actually a child, it was hard to decide whose eyes were wider. Kahlan was utterly confused, as was Zedd, who had the most pronounced frown she had ever seen on his face. Richard was looking between the Mother Confessor and the wizard, to see if they had answers he clearly didn’t.

“Looks like I’m not getting close to a _woman_ Confessor after all,” Cara said wryly, looking at Kahlan with a raised eyebrow after looking suspiciously around the room they had entered. Kahlan just looked at her sideways and gave her an almost imperceptible smile. Then her attention went to what it looked to be the kitchen’s door, when she heard a small and scared voice coming from inside.

“Who is it?” a female voice asked from inside.

“The Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnel asked to meet you Alys,” Brejen said, walking to the kitchen’s door threshold and looking at someone inside. “She’s here with the Seeker, the First Wizard, and a Mord’Sith,” he explained. “Don’t make them wait,” he said, looking back at Kahlan smiling.

Finally, small steps were heard. Cara’s hands went to her agiels, little girl or not, the blonde didn’t like surprises. Zedd and Richard were holding their breaths and Kahlan tried to step in front of Cara, but the Mord’Sith prevented that by putting herself next to Kahlan.

A girl appeared, warily entering the room and moving to stand in front of them. She was slim, tall enough that her head reached about as high as Kahlan’s stomach. She was wearing a simple dress, with an apron around her small waist. Her dark blonde hair was longer than the girls normally wore in the Midlands; it reached a hand past her shoulders. When she looked up at Kahlan, the girl’s sky-blue eyes lit along with the smile that illuminated her face.

All of a sudden, Alys sprinted towards Kahlan with arms outstretched. The girl was about to touch the Mother Confessor when an agiel in front of her brought her to an abrupt halt.

“What are you doing?” Brejen shouted worriedly. “She’s just a child, don’t hurt her,” he pleaded to the Mord’Sith.

“I don’t care about the package,” Cara said, never lowering her agiel. “I’m more concerned about what’s inside,” the blonde said through her teeth, piercing the girl’s blue eyes with her own. The fact that the girl didn’t look scared at all, only made Cara more suspicious.

“Do you know who I am?” Kahlan asked the little girl, her face reserved. She too opted to be on the safe side. The girl may be a child, but they had dealt with stranger things before. Richard and Zedd were alert behind her as well.

“Yes,” the girl replied with a serious face. “Do you know who _I_ am?” she asked back to Kahlan. The brunette was surprised at the question and at the girl’s calm demeanor in front of Cara’s agiel. Either she didn’t know what the weapon was or she didn’t care.

“I was hopping you would tell me that,” Kahlan said, trying to read the child’s honesty with her powers.

Instead of replying, Alys stared at Cara. “Could you put that away first?” she asked, nodding at the agiel still firmly held between her and the Mother Confessor. When Cara didn’t flinch, the girl added, “I’m not going to harm you,” she said firmly. “Any of you,” she said, turning her head to look into Kahlan’s eyes.

“She’s telling the truth, Cara,” Kahlan said to the blonde, grabbing Cara’s forearm and lowering the blonde’s arm. Kahlan raised her eyes to a puzzled Brejen and a woman who must be his wife, smiling to calm them down. “Do you want to have dinner with us at the inn so we could talk?” Kahlan asked the little girl.

“Of course I would,” Alys answered with a big smile on her face.

*****

On their way back from the house, Alys had asked Kahlan if she could hold her hand. The Mother Confessor had acquiesced; watching has the girl skipped happily while holding onto her hand. 

They were currently sitting around a rectangular table. Zedd was sitting at the head of the table. Richard and Alys were on one side, with Richard closer to Zedd; Cara and Kahlan were in front of them.

“Alys we have a lot of questions to ask you,” Kahlan said with a sweet smile. Once the girl had said she wasn’t going to hurt them and Kahlan had seen the truth in those words, the brunette became more relaxed. There was also the fact that the little blonde girl inspired a tenderness in Kahlan that also helped to calm her down. But more than anything, Kahlan needed answers.

“Are you a Confessor, Alys?” Kahlan asked directly, looking for the confirmation all of them wanted.

“Yes, I am,” Alys answered, looking into Kahlan’s eyes while she replied, to make sure the Mother Confessor could read the truth on her face.

Kahlan looked at Zedd to see if the wizard could make something out of this, but he was clueless. He nodded to Kahlan for her to continue her gentle interrogation. They had found the mysterious Confessor, now they had to find out how was this possible. When the brunette turned her head back to the girl, she stopped at seeing that a stare contest was going on. Richard was looking on too, an amused smiled on his face.

Alys was staring at the Mord’Sith with an interested look, eating her soup without looking down once. Cara, noticing this, stared right back. Since the girl still didn’t take her eyes off of Cara’s, the blonde decided to say something.

“Is something wrong with my face, girl?” she asked.

“No,” the young girl said simply, her eyes never wavering. A few silent seconds went by without either blonde diverting their gaze. The others were watching, amused.

“You’re starting to annoy me,” Cara with a fake smile. “You do know what Mord’Sith do to little girls, don’t you?” she said with a menacing smirk, trying to scare the girl from staring at her in that unnerving way.

“I do,” the girl answered with a straight face. “And you do know what Confessors do to Mord’Sith, don’t you?” the girl said inclining her upper body towards Cara, a mischievous smirk lighting her face.

At this daring attitude from the little girl, Cara started to stand with the intention of doing something to teach this girl a lesson; although she didn’t know exactly what she would do.

Kahlan quickly grabbed Cara’s forearm to prevent the blonde from getting up. “Calm down, Cara,” she said serenely. “She’s just a little girl,” Kahlan said, trying to appease the Mord’Sith.

“A little girl with a big mouth,” Cara replied, turning her head to Kahlan with a raised brow.

Kahlan just smiled at her and squeezed her forearm before bringing her hand to her own lap and turning her attention to Alys. “And you can get rid of that cheeky smile, you provoked her and you shouldn’t,” Kahlan said disapprovingly to the girl.

“I’m sorry,” Alys said, lowering her eyes to her plate. “I was just kidding,” she said, lifting her head again to look apologetically at Kahlan.

Kahlan just gave her a curt nod and smiled slightly, conveying to the girl that she was forgiven. 

“You’re not as sweet as you look,” Cara started again, not happy at leaving things like that, but stopped when she felt a warm hand squeezing her thigh beneath the table. The blonde calmed down, limiting her outburst to a twitch of her eye. She looked at Kahlan and saw the brunette mouth the words _thank you_ to her and when the Mother Confessor turned her attention back to her own plate, she didn’t move her hand from Cara’s leg.

“Alys, as you can see, we are all surprised to see you, a Confessor, alive,” Zedd asked, trying to divert the attentions to the important thing. “Do you want to share with us what happened to you? How did you get caught by the slave dealers?” he asked, establishing a point for the girl to start.

“I already noticed I’m not where I’m supposed to be,” Alys said, sighing. “You’re the only people who can help and the only ones I trust, so this is what I remember, “the girl said. “I was just wandering around in the Wizard’s Keep when I heard a man’s voice coming from one of the chambers where the old dangerous magical amulets are stored,” she explained. “I went to see who it was and I saw that strange looking wizard with a triangle made of stone in his hands and he was mumbling something in a language I didn’t understand,” she recalled. She looked at all four of them to see if they were following her story and after confirming they were, she took a breath and continued.

“No one is allowed there without authorization and I thought it was weird that he was there,” she kept explaining. “Since no one is supposed to play with those amulets, I entered the chamber and told him that he shouldn’t touch the triangle,” Alys said. “When he saw me, he was startled and his face got frowny, so I suspected he was doing something wrong,” she said sighing. “I tried to run, I swear, but he caught me before I could open my mouth and covered it with his hand,” she recalled, getting upset about the disturbing memories. “He said that since I was such a curious girl, he was going to take me for a stroll. Then a hole opened in the middle of the air and he shoved me through it,” Alys explained, her blue eyes tearing up. “I heard someone scream my name, but it was so far away. Next thing I know I woke up in the woods and two men were trying to grab me,” the little girl remembered with tears falling down her face “I tried to fight them, but I was so tired and dizzy, and they were so big...” she trailed off sniffling and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.

“Oh sweetie,” Kahlan said, standing up and kneeling beside the frightened kid. “You’re not with those men anymore, you’re safe here with us,” the Mother Confessor reassured the girl softly, using her fingers to wipe away the young Confessor’s tears. Kahlan was still amazed at thinking of this girl as a Confessor.

“That’s not why I’m sad,” Alys said, sniffling and hiccupping now. The girl was getting more upset with every second that passed.

“Shsss,” Kahlan tried once more to calm the distressed girl. “Here, get up and come sit between me and Cara,” Kahlan suggested, noticing that she was kneeling in the middle of the passage to other tables.

Alys went around the table and when she tried to climb on the long bench, she reached for the closest thing for leverage. The closest thing happened to be Cara’s waist. Before the young girl could touch her, the blonde caught her by the wrist.

Alys turned her head startled by the Mord’Sith’s quick reaction, but didn’t look afraid of her in the slightest.

“You where going to hurt yourself,” Cara said softly to the girl. “Your hand was going to land on my agiels,” the blonde explained her actions, nodding to the weapons at her waist and took them off, putting them on the table. Without saying another word, the Mord’Sith picked Alys by the armpits and lifted the girl to sit her between her and Kahlan on the long bench.

Kahlan was watching, mesmerized by the way Cara reacted to protect the girl and especially the tender way she treated the distraught kid. Cara picking up a child was something that had never crossed her mind, but now it was one of the most endearing things she had ever seen. The blonde never stopped to amaze her. The Mother Confessor sat down at Alys’s other side and enveloped the girl with one arm.

“Tell me why you’re sad, sweetie,” Kahlan asked and heard the girl whisper something imperceptible through her tears. “I couldn’t hear you, take a deep breath and say it again,” Kahlan instructed.

“I confessed him,” Alys repeated more clearly, the pain and regret were unmistakable in her voice. Noran, the men they had found confessed, had lost his free will by the hands of this little girl.

Hearing the young girl’s words filled with a fear so familiar to her, Kahlan immediately knew why the confession was making the girl so upset.

“It was the first time you confessed someone, wasn’t it?” the older Confessor asked empathizing. She remembered perfectly how it felt to confess someone when her father had forced her to. She was a child too, younger than Alys, and it was always so scary. Watching men lives ruined by her touch was horrible; she had blamed herself and thought she was a monster. After she escaped her father and learned about her power things had gotten easier, she had learned to accept her role and be proud of it. She now knew that her power came with great responsibility and when she used it, it was always because she needed to. But Kahlan would never forget the panic she felt as a kid, the fear she was sure Alys was feeling right now.

“Yes,” was the muffled response that came from Kahlan’s chest, where Alys had buried her head crying and hugged the brunette’s waist.

“Listen to me, Alys,” Kahlan said, lifting the girl’s chin to look at her eyes. “I know how you must be feeling, but I want you to answer me something, ok?” Kahlan asked, seeing the blond girl nod her head. “Was he trying to hurt you when you confessed him?” she asked softly.

“He was trying to take my clothes off and would hit me to keep me still,” she recalled the awful experience, a new wave of tears streaming down her face.

Kahlan had to bit her lip to hold her own tears at bay. The brunette hugged the girl closer to her body, her right arm going around her waist and the other hand holding the young girl’s head protectively against her chest. She could see Richard clasping his hands together until his knuckles turned white, barely keeping his anger in check at hearing this. Zedd was equally appalled. Cara was the one to voice her opinion.

“We should have killed them all,” the Mord’Sith said furiously, her hands closing around her agiels at the top of the table.

Kahlan moved her right hand from Alys’s waist to briefly touch Cara’s lower back, calming the leather clad blonde. She then returned her arm around the little girl’s body, waiting for the girl to calm a little before she spoke next.

“See Alys, that was my point,” she said, lowering her head to catch the young girl’s eyes. “You were only defending yourself. You used your power to protect yourself from an attack,” she explained. “And you did really well, I’m proud of you,” she reassured the girl.

“You are?” Alys asked hopefully.

“Without any shadow of a doubt,” Kahlan said, kissing the girl’s forehead tenderly.

“My child, I’m terribly sorry for what happened to you,” Zedd said with a mournful look. “From the little you told us I think I know what happened to you, but to be sure I have to ask you something,” the wizard said, knowing that the girl was in no way capable of continuing an interrogation right now. The rest of the questions could wait until tomorrow, after the girl rested, but he had to know something to cement his theory. “The fact that Kahlan is the only Confessor alive right now and considering you remember an amulet and what I believe to be a portal, makes me believe that you’re not from this time. The question is: did you travel forward in time or back?” Zedd looked at the girl for an answer.

“Well, when those men caught me, I heard them talk about banelings and then Brejen was telling me what was happening right now around the Midlands,” she added, her head still hidden against Kahlan’s chest and sounding confused. “He told me about how the Seeker had defeated Darken Rahl and was now on a quest to close the rift to the Underworld,” she explained what she knew so far. “It was like I was sitting through a history class,” Alys said wide eyed. “That’s when I became aware that I was probably farther away from home then I thought. It feels like I’ve fallen inside a history book,” the girl said, looking wide eyed at all of them.

“Back in time it is,” Zedd said, raising his eyebrow.

“You mean she’s from the future?” Richard asked his grandfather while pointing to Alys.

“Yes, my boy,” Zedd confirmed to the surprised Seeker. “That’s exactly what I mean,” he said nodding his head, musing about the things the young Confessor had just told them. Zedd was aware that they needed more information about this, but Alys was in no condition emotionally to continue tonight. The best course of action would be to rest and search for answers in the morning. As if on cue Alys yawned.

“You must be tired,” Kahlan said, tucking a lock of blonde air behind the little girl’s ear. “How about you rest for the night and we’ll talk more tomorrow?” Kahlan suggested to the visibly exhausted girl.

“That’s a good idea,” Zedd said before Alys could speak. “Rest now, little one. Tomorrow we’ll figure out what happened to you and how we can help you,” the wizard said kindly.

“Okay,” Alys said, yawning again. The anxiety of recalling the last few days had left her worn out.

“I’ll take her back to Brejen’s cousin’s house,” Richard said smiling sweetly to the girl.

“Do you want me to go with you too?” Kahlan asked Alys.

“No, it’s okay,” Alys said, with a more animated voice. “I’ll go with-“ she trailed off suddenly. “Hmmm…Richard,” she finished after a beat.

“Were you going to call me something else?” Richard asked, his smile never leaving his face.

“No, I just,” Alys trailed off again, shrugging her shoulder meekly. “I must be more tired than I thought,” she said, smiling up at Richard.

“I’ll go with you too,” Cara stated resolutely, getting up and not giving anyone a chance to contradict her. There was something about this child that didn’t sit right with her. It could be her extremely suspicious nature, but she preferred to play it on the safe side and not leave Richard alone with the girl.

Richard looked at Alys to see the girl’s reaction to Cara’s words and saw the girl had a wide smile on her face, already jumping off the bench to follow Cara. The young girl quickly turned around to hug Kahlan, said her goodnights, and walked out of the inn with him and Cara.

*****

Kahlan stood looking outside the window of their room, her only light was that of the moon and of a single candle burning on the side table by the bed. After Richard and Cara had left to see Alys safe to the place she was staying at for the night, Kahlan had left Zedd and had gone up to the bedroom. The wizard bid her goodnight, aware that the Confessor had a lot on her mind and, as always, needed some time alone to think.

She was surprised at what they had found. They were searching for a grown woman, a possible threat, and instead they had found a scared little girl in need of their help. Although they hadn’t found out what brought the girl here, how she had managed to travel back in time, Kahlan knew Alys was trust worthy. The young girl seemed to be hiding something, but the Confessor in her could see she was telling them the truth about the story she had told. Cara must have sensed that Alys was hiding something too, that was probably what set the Mord’Sith off in accompanying Richard. 

_Cara._

When she had asked Cara earlier to be careful with this new Confessor they were going to meet, it had dawned on her that the thing she was trying to protect the blonde from was inside herself as well; her power. The thought of hurting Cara was enough to make her chest constrict in pain. Kahlan had always been aware of what would happen if she were to be intimate with someone, but this fact never hurt her more than right now. There was no more doubt in her that the blonde was the person she wanted to be with and the person with whom she wanted to lose herself. But thinking that Cara risked her life every time they were trading passionate caresses scared her immensely.

Kahlan was silently crying when she heard the door close and felt someone approaching her from behind. The quiet steps and the scent of leather were unmistakable. _Cara_ , Kahlan thought with a shiver. The blonde put her hands gently on Kahlan’s hips and placed a kiss between Kahlan’s shoulder blades.

“What’s bothering you?” Cara asked after a short moment.

“I was thinking about Alys and what her being here means,” Kahlan said with a trembling voice, using her hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“If it’s true that she came from the future, it means a future exists,” Cara said quietly while turning Kahlan around to face her. “It means that the Confessor’s line will survive,” the blonde said, hugging Kahlan around the waist.

“I guess,” Kahlan said weakly. “Then it’s good news, right?” the brunette attempted a cheerful voice. It was an attempt that failed because of the worry Cara could see in her eyes.

“Exactly my point,” Cara said, raising her eyebrow. “So, since good news don’t usually make you cry like this,” the blonde said, mock-pensively, managing to pull a very small smile from Kahlan. “Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you this much?” Cara insisted, fixing the brunette with her eyes.

“I could kill you,” Kahlan whispered after a few silent moments, freeing herself from Cara’s embrace and turning her back to the Mord’Sith.

“It wouldn’t be a bad way to go,” Cara said with a tilt of her head. She was trying to alleviate some tension, but Kahlan was not in the mood for jokes.

The Confessor head turned hastily around to look at Cara, directing a strict look at the blonde. Cara said nothing; she just lowered her head conveying her apologies to Kahlan for such an ill-timed comment. Kahlan knew that was the blonde way of dealing with her own anxiety. The Mord’Sith would forever hide behind her sarcastic comments; it was an armor thicker than her leathers.

Kahlan lifted her hand and cupped Cara’s chin, compelling the blonde to raise her head and look her in the eyes. The blonde was looking at her with such warmth and sadness; letting Kahlan see that this issue bothered her too. Kahlan instinctively let her hand slide up to Cara’s cheek and the other one come up to cup the opposite cheek. Cara’s gloved hands came up to cover her own. The Mord’Sith joined her forehead to Kahlan’s gently and sighed, closing her eyes.

“I hate to see you cry,” Cara whispered.

At hearing these words, the Mother Confessor let a sob escape. Cara moved one hand to cup the back Kahlan’s neck, the blonde’s thumb grazing the brunette’s earlobe. The blonde then kissed Kahlan’s cheeks sweetly and slowly, cleaning the brunette’s beautiful face of the tears that were falling from her blue eyes. When she finished with her task, she pulled back a little to look into Kahlan’s eyes. The Confessor had a small sad smile on her lips and returned the blonde’s warm gaze. A new tear fell from one of Kahlan’s eyes and Cara chuckled very quietly.

“You won’t make my job easy, will you?” Cara asked in a raspy voice, strangled with the unfamiliar emotion that was invading her chest. The Mord’Sith caught the tear with her lips, leaving one more kiss on the brunette’s smooth cheek. Kahlan didn’t reply, but another tear fell from her eyes. “Or maybe you just want me to kiss you,” the Mord’Sith stated softly, trying to put a less sad smile on Kahlan’s sweet lips.

Kahlan nodded her head slowly, her eyes never leaving Cara’s and filling themselves with a fresh and abundant wave of tears. The brunette covered her mouth with her hand, trying to suppress the sobs that rose to shake her frame and let her head fall against the blonde’s shoulder. She turned her head into Cara’s neck, to be able to feel Cara’s warm skin.

Cara let the hand at the back of Kahlan’s head bury itself in the Confessor’s long hair. Her other arm went to surround Kahlan’s waist and pull her securely against her body. Kahlan uncovered her mouth and hugged the Mord’Sith back, both her hands clutching to Cara’s back. Cara thought that maybe she should say something, but opted to turn her head a little instead and kiss Kahlan’s temple. She felt Kahlan relax almost instantly. 

After a while of Kahlan crying in her shoulder, firmly encased in her arms, the Confessor stopped sobbing; but she didn’t lift her head. Cara felt soft lips kissing her in her tear-soaked neck and sighed deeply.

“Are you feeling better?” Cara asked with a small voice. Kahlan lifted her head to look into the blonde’s gorgeous face.

“A little, yes,” Kahlan confirmed. “Thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder, it helps,” Kahlan said, her arms lowering to encircle the blonde’s waist.

“I’ll always be here for anything you need, Kahlan,” Cara said determinedly, tucking Kahlan’s hair behind her ear tenderly. “Just don’t ask me to put on a dress for you. I only do that once in a lifetime,” she said teasingly.

Kahlan chuckled slightly. Cara just smiled affectionately at her and turned around, pulling Kahlan’s hand to bring the Confessor to their bed. The blonde sat, leaning her back on the headboard, and lifted one arm in invitation to Kahlan. The Mother Confessor smiled and tucked herself to Cara’s side, hugging the blonde’s waist and resting her head in Cara’s shoulder.

“My power is a curse,” Kahlan said suddenly.

“You don’t mean that,” Cara said, stroking Kahlan’s hand lying on her stomach.

“No, but sometimes it feels like it,” Kahlan replied.

She knew her power was a great honor and responsibility. She could never turn her back on that and on all the people of the Midlands. But some aspects of it were big sacrifices; like being unable to be intimate with someone without taking their free will away. In Cara’s case it was even worse, she could kill the woman. She had accepted that part of her power long ago; even with Richard she was able to push her desires to the back of her mind, so as not to compromise the Seeker and his mission. It had been difficult, but she had done it. But now, with Cara, she found herself without the strength to battle the desire she felt for the blonde. The need to give herself to Cara and take Cara in return was immense. She needed Cara intimately, completely… _freely_. 

“You’re the only person in this world with power to hurt me badly, Kahlan,” Cara said, a distant look in her eyes. The true meaning of her words disguised with the topic of the conversation. The blonde knew that Kahlan’s magic could kill her, but she trusted the brunette with her life. Death was not the worst that Kahlan could do to her. The power Kahlan had to hurt her didn’t come from her Confessor’s powers; it came from the love growing in Cara’s chest every day that she spent with Kahlan. The Mord’Sith had never felt that for anyone; all her life she thought of love as a weakness. She hadn’t changed her mind, but had come to realize that the prize was worth the vulnerability. “But you’re not going to confess me,” the blonde said.

“It’s a real risk, Cara; or did you forget what I am,” Kahlan replied disbelievingly at Cara’s attempt to dismiss the situation. She noticed something different in Cara’s tone, but the blonde’s apparent lack of concern distracted her from asking about it.

“I didn’t forget _what_ you are, Mother Confessor; but I also didn’t forget _who_ you are, Kahlan. You have the power to hurt me, but you won’t,” Cara said, stressing the right words to convey her true meaning; that she trusted the woman Kahlan was to not hurt her. Kahlan understood perfectly and marveled at the complex and amazing woman before her.

Cara lifted her hands and motioned for Kahlan to take her gloves off. The Confessor complied readily, lost in her thoughts about the way Cara could understand her so well. Cara put her gloves on the side table and started to undo Kahlan’s dress laces with one hand.

“Cara,” the Confessor whispered pleadingly, although she didn’t know if it was for Cara to stop or to continue.

“I’m not afraid of your touch,” Cara said softly. “I’ve no desire to die, Kahlan,” the Mord’Sith continued. “But you’re crazy if you think I’ll let you believe I’m afraid of you,” Cara said, continuing to unlace Kahlan’s dress.

“Cara, the question is not whether or not you’re afraid of me, it’s that I can _hurt you_ with my touch,” Kahlan said, turning her head to look at the blonde and grabbing Cara’s hands to prevent the blonde from continuing to unlace her dress.

“I already told you that you won’t hurt me willingly,” the blonde said firmly gazing at Kahlan as the Confessor released her hands to finish unlacing the white dress. “And I’ll prove that to you,” Cara said with a determined and loving expression. When she saw nothing but acceptance in Kahlan’s eyes, the blonde kissed her gently.

Kahlan slide down on the mattress, bringing Cara with her, never separating their lips. The Mord’Sith turned onto her left side, keeping one hand around Kahlan’s shoulders and caressing Kahlan’s hip with the other. Their kiss stayed chaste, Kahlan was feeling her anxiety fade away with Cara’s gentle and soothing lips caressing hers. The brunette lay flat on her back and pulled Cara more on top of her, needing to feel the blonde’s body pressing against her own.

Cara acquiesced and moved her body on top of Kahlan’s, putting one of her legs snugly between Kahlan’s long ones. She smiled into the kiss when Kahlan squeezed her leg with her thighs and sighed contently. The Mord’Sith interrupted the kiss and raised herself above Kahlan.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Kahlan said, not pleased that the blonde interrupted the progressively heated kiss. “And stop smiling like that,” the brunette said while she swatted Cara’s side playfully. “Spirits, how smug can you be?” she asked, smiling.

“I’m loving the sounds you’re making while I’m touching you, I don’t want them to change abruptly because you’ve touched something else,” she said whilst taking her agiels off their holsters and putting them next to her gloves. “And I have my reasons to be smug, especially when I put that smile on your face,” the blonde said smirking; lowering herself to slowly kiss Kahlan’s throat.

The brunette just chuckled and enjoyed Cara’s warm lips on her skin. Kahlan enfolded Cara’s back with her arms and started to play with the laces holding the red leather together. She tightened her grip, grabbing onto the leather when Cara returned to kiss her lips, asking permission with her tongue to enter the brunette’s mouth. Kahlan eagerly granted the blonde access and met Cara’s hot tongue with her own.

Cara loved to kiss Kahlan’s mouth; never before had the blonde enjoyed the simple action of kissing someone this much. She pulled down on the low-cut collar of Kahlan’s white dress, trying to get it off the Confessor’s body. The blonde broke the kiss to look into Kahlan’s eyes, not so much asking for permission as to inform her first of the Mord’Sith’s intentions. In response, the brunette grabbed the white fabric and pulled her dress back up to cover her shoulders.

“It comes off better the other way,” she explained, smiling at the brief look of insecurity on Cara’s face. The Confessor pushed Cara off of her and got up to take off her dress. She sat down on the edge of the bed, back turned to the blonde, and took off her boots as well. When she turned around, she saw Cara sitting on the opposite edge of the bed, taking off her boots too. Kahlan smiled to herself and crawled across the large bed towards Cara. Once she got behind the blonde, Kahlan got on her knees and started to undo the intricate laces on the Mord’Sith’s leather.

Feeling this, Cara smirked and busied herself with undoing her belt. By the time she let the belt fall on the floor, Kahlan had the laces undone. The Mord’Sith turned around and knelt in front of the brunette, searching her eyes for any discomfort and finding none. Taking this a sign to continue, Cara grabbed the collar of her leathers and started to pull the top down, watching as Kahlan couldn’t tear her blue eyes off of the blonde’s torso.

“Wait,” Kahlan said suddenly, her hands darting to Cara’s to put a stop to the blonde’s descending leathers. “We should stop Cara. This is too risky, it’s dangerous,” Kahlan said sorrowfully, turning around from Cara and sitting in the middle of the bed with her legs slightly bent. The Confessor felt the bed shift as Cara got off of it and heard the tell-tale sound of Cara fumbling with her leathers.

The Mord’Sith was certainly not pleased with Kahlan’s reaction and was probably putting her top back on. The brunette was prepared to hear Cara’s voice complaining any minute now, but instead Kahlan felt a weight dip the bed and getting near her. A shock went through her frame when she felt bare skin touch her own. Kahlan looked down to see Cara’s bare hands going down her arms, followed by equally bare arms. If Kahlan was surprised to see that, it was noting compared to how she felt when Cara’s bare knees peeked at the side of Kahlan’s hips. The Confessor’s eyes widened when she saw Cara’s thighs trapping her between them and then her eyes closed tight when she felt the blonde’s obviously bare upper body coming flush into contact with her back.

“Spirits Cara,” Kahlan breathed out, eyes still closed. “Are you naked?” the brunette asked nervously.

“No,” Cara said with a mischievous smile, hugging Kahlan tight against her. “I have my undergarments on,” she whispered on Kahlan’s ear, making the brunette shudder.

“Creator, woman,” Kahlan said while she let her head fall back on Cara’s shoulder. “You are insane.” She caressed Cara’s arms around her stomach.

“I’m not insane,” Cara said, one hand sliding up Kahlan’s torso to unlace the black corset the brunette used underneath her white dress. “I just want you to know that I’m not afraid of you touching me and I don’t want you to stop doing that because of fear,” she explained.

“And you had to get your clothes off to get your point across?” Kahlan asked, smiling up at Cara.

“Yes,” the Mord’Sith answered matter-of-factly, making Kahlan laugh. After a few moments though, Kahlan’s laugh died down and Cara could feel the brunette’s breathing increasing. The blonde took Kahlan’s hands in hers and guided them to her own thighs, encouraging Kahlan to caress her tanned skin.

The moment her hands touched the blonde’s muscled and soft thighs, Kahlan felt a jolt of desire running through her. Cara could cause this feeling in her without much effort, but what fascinated Kahlan was that Cara could put her enough at ease for her to actually enjoy this feeling. Just moments ago, she was scared to death of losing control and hurting Cara. But now, after a very bold move from the Mord’Sith and the reassurance of her arms surrounding her, the desire to feel and be close to Cara was so much greater than the fear. The risks were always present on her mind, but she trusted Cara to control her power too; she trusted the blonde to protect what she was so afraid to lose: Cara herself.

After making sure Kahlan would continue to caress her thighs on her own, Cara moved her hands to the corset’s straps covering the Confessor’s shoulders. The blonde slid the straps down and kissed Kahlan’s left shoulder slowly. She let her lips travel up Kahlan’s neck, enjoying the soft sighs escaping the brunette’s mouth. When she felt Kahlan’s nails dug slightly on her skin, the blonde sucked on the Confessor’s pulse point.

Kahlan moaned at the sensation Cara’s lips were provoking on her. The brunette moved one hand to the back of Cara’s head and turned her head to passionately kiss the Mord’Sith. She didn’t wait long to let her tongue search for entrance in Cara’s mouth. She faintly felt Cara’s fingers working on the laces of her corset, but she couldn’t wait any longer to turn around in Cara’s arms. Kahlan stopped the fervent kiss and moved to turn around, placing small kisses on Cara’s lips all the time, unable to force herself to put that much distance between them.

The sight of Cara’s gorgeous body kneeling right beside her took her breath away. By being naked, Cara was not only telling her that Kahlan could touch her freely, without apprehension, but also committing herself to Kahlan; showing her that she wasn’t giving up on the first obstacle, even if said obstacle was as huge as this was. The Mord’Sith wanted to make sure Kahlan knew that she was baring herself without fears to the Confessor. Now, Kahlan understood perfectly why Cara had taken off her clothes.

Kahlan couldn’t help the blush that appeared on her cheeks. The Confessor bit her lip while she moved one hand to Cara’s thigh and raised the other to trace gentle patterns along the blonde’s chest. Kahlan let her fingers slide down to Cara’s breasts, tracing the swell of Cara’s right breast and daring to let one finger flick across Cara’s hard nipple, making the blonde inhale sharply. A glance at Cara’s encouraging eyes gave her the confidence to keep going with her explorations. She turned her attention to the Mord’Sith’s other breast, but stopped to look curiously at the top of Cara’s breast.

“You have a mark here,” Kahlan said, pressing the red mark with her index finger and biting her lip a little more to keep from smiling.

“Yes,” the blonde confirmed, looking down at the red mark on her skin and smirking. “I wonder whose fault that is,” Cara said sarcastically.

Kahlan giggled, perfectly aware that her own mouth matched the size of the mark. The Confessor moved her hand from Cara’s thigh to Cara’s side and combed the fingers of her other hand through the blonde’s wild locks. She gazed for a moment into Cara’s green eyes with a big smile on her lips. She had never felt as comfortable with anyone as she felt with the blonde Mord’Sith.

Cara inched closer to Kahlan, never taken her intense gaze away from Kahlan’s eyes. The blonde extended her arm to her side to pull down the covers and put one hand on Kahlan’s side to push the Confessor side ways to lie on the mattress. Kahlan gave into the blonde’s silent request, never taking her eyes off Cara’s body, watching the way the candle light flickered against the golden skin. She was mesmerized by the game of light and shadows the flame on the side table played across Cara’s body. When she rested her head back on the pillow, Kahlan brought her hands up to pull Cara down on top of her by the back of the blonde’s neck.

“Oh Cara,” Kahlan breathed out onto the blonde’s lips, arching her back and pressing her body up into Cara’s almost naked one. “You feel so good,” she said, burying her hands in Cara’s hair and capturing the blonde’s lips with her own. She kissed Cara deeply and opened her legs to accommodate the blonde’s body between them.

The moment Cara got between Kahlan’s legs she thrust her hips forwards, making Kahlan moan loudly and squeeze the Mord’Sith tightly with her long-toned legs. She took advantage of her position and rolled the Mord’Sith on her back, ending up straddling her. She sat up on Cara’s hips, mesmerized by Cara’s naked torso. Kahlan put her hands on Cara’s sides and slide them down the blonde’s stomach at the same time Cara moved her hands to stroke up Kahlan’s thighs. The brunette moved her warm hands back upwards, feeling Cara’s abdominal muscles jump beneath her ministrations. The Confessor paused with her hands just underneath the Mord’Sith’s round breasts. She glanced up at Cara’s face, watching the blonde looking at her encouragingly with half closed eyes. Kahlan lowered herself to Cara and kissed her lips lustfully, while moving her hands to softly, but firmly, cup the blonde’s breasts. She was rewarded with an extremely sensual moan coming from the pleased blonde.

Cara’s hands moved up to take hold of Kahlan’s waist. The blonde slid her hand beneath the Confessor’s corset and started to pull it up. She couldn’t take it anymore; she had to feel more of Kahlan’s skin on hers. In the back of her head there was a voice telling her how dangerous this was, but she couldn’t focus enough to care. The trail of wet kisses Kahlan was leaving on her neck and the Confessor’s hands still squeezing her breasts made sure the Mord’Sith lost her concentration.

“Take it off,” Kahlan whispered huskily in Cara’s ear, moving her hands along Cara’s arms until she stretched them over the blonde’s head and allowed Cara to pull the leather corset upwards, off over her head. Cara let out a gasp when the corset freed the brunette’s heavy breasts, the stunning sight making her heart speed up inside her chest. With Cara’s help, the Confessor shed the black long skirt she used beneath the white dress, leaving only her undergarments on. The Mord’Sith then sat up with Kahlan straddling her lap and surrounded the brunette lovingly with her arms. She looked into Kahlan’s eyes and let her gaze travel down the Confessor’s pale skin.

“You’re beautiful,” Cara whispered almost inaudibly, trailing her hands gently up and down Kahlan’s back.

“ _You’re_ beautiful,” Kahlan whispered back, cupping Cara’s cheeks and bringing the blonde’s gaze to meet her own. “I’ve never felt like this with anyone, Cara,” Kahlan said softly and kissed the blonde’s lips sweetly.

Cara flipped them over gently, laying the Confessor back down in bed. The blonde let one of her legs slide snugly between Kahlan’s, rousing a contented sigh out of the brunette’s lips. She was holding herself up with one elbow and let her other hand explore Kahlan’s body. The Mord’Sith let the pads of her fingers make small teasing circles across Kahlan’s stomach, hearing the brunette moan softly. Then she let her nimble fingers go lower, sliding the tip of her index finger underneath the hem of Kahlan’s undergarment. She let the bold touch trace along under the hem until it reached Kahlan’s hip bone and Cara flattened her hand to caress up Kahlan’s side.

Kahlan was shivering under Cara’s soft caresses, her nipples hard in anticipation of the blonde’s skillful touch. Cara’s hand came to rest on her side and the blonde looked up into her eyes with a smile. Kahlan saw the blonde’s tongue came out to wet those rosy lips before the Mord’Sith lowered her head without taking her eyes off of hers and engulfed Kahlan’s nipple in her mouth. The Confessor instantly arched her back and gasped, trying to get herself closer to the blonde and held Cara’s head close to her breast. Kahlan whimpered when she felt Cara’s tongue circling her nipple and sucking it slowly into her hot mouth. In an attempt to bring the blonde even closer to her, Kahlan threw her left led over Cara’s hips, moaning when she felt Cara’s hand leave her side and move to grasp her thigh.

Cara was overjoyed; she could barely believe that she had Kahlan trembling under her. The sounds coming from the brunette’s mouth only fueled her desire for the Confessor. The blonde released Kahlan’s nipple and traced her tongue across the brunette’s chest to give the same treatment to the Confessor’s other breast. She then shifted fully in between Kahlan’s legs and started a trail of languid open-mouthed kisses down Kahlan’s abdomen, listening as each kiss provoked a moan or sigh from the brunette. Cara let her hands proceed her, caressing down Kahlan’s sides, and sliding them over Kahlan’s groin as she sucked in the space between Kahlan’s navel and her undergarments.

“Cara,” Kahlan shouted, halting the blonde’s ministrations. Cara looked up in surprised, but when she saw the amount of black starting to swim around the brunette’s eyes, she understood the Confessor’s outburst. So, Cara crawled up Kahlan’s body and laid herself over the brunette, softly caressing her cheek in an attempt to calm the brunette’s raging libido before it got out of control. Kahlan had her eyes closed and was breathing hard.

“Kahlan,” the blonde called quietly. “Open your eyes?” she asked, combing her fingers through Kahlan’s hair. The Confessor released a deep sigh before opening her eyes to look at Cara, fear mingling with the still present lust in her eyes.

“You do realize what was starting to happen, don’t you?” Kahlan asked in a scared tone. Cara just nodded her head, smirking.

“Cara, I’m serious,” Kahlan said, putting her fingers over Cara’s smirking lips. “This was reckless,” she said sighing.

“It was also very pleasurable,” the Mord’Sith said, kissing the tips of Kahlan’s fingers. “I never though you were so easily…” she trailed off, looking knowingly at Kahlan.

“I didn’t think so either,” Kahlan chuckled softly, despite herself. “But it seems that with you it doesn’t take a lot of effort,” she grinned, but rolled her eyes as she saw the smug look that appeared on Cara’s face.

“And I though I knew all about torture,” the Mord’Sith snorted. “This is a whole new level of it,” she shook her head. Kahlan just laughed. “Don’t laugh, it wasn’t supposed to be funny,” Cara said with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, I know,” Kahlan said, lacing her fingers behind Cara’s neck. “But it feels good to be like this with you,” the brunette said with a sweet smile. Cara smiled back at her and nodded her head in agreement. After a few moments of gazing into each others eyes, Kahlan frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Cara asked, noticing the change in the Confessor’s expression.

“I have to tell him, Cara,” Kahlan said simply, knowing that the blonde would know she was talking about Richard. “But I’m scared; I don’t know how he’ll take it,” she said, playing with a lock of blonde hair hanging above her own face.

“What do you mean?” Cara asked.

“I’m worried about how he will react to me breaking up with him, but I can’t keep this from him,” Kahlan said. “Leading him on is just deceitful; I’m lying to him everyday,” the brunette said in a sad voice. “And it’s not fair to you either,” Kahlan added, stroking a finger down Cara’s nose.

“I’m sure he isn’t going to jump of joy, but if you’re worried that he will compromise the quest, I don’t think you should be,” Cara said.

“No?” Kahlan asked, very interested in Cara’s thoughts.

“Richard is a big boy,” the Mord’Sith said as if that alone should explain everything, but knowing that Kahlan would need a little bit more than that, she sighed and continued. “He was entrusted with this task, so he will be responsible for seeing it through. The quest is bigger than any of us and he, as the Seeker, should be capable of thinking about the big picture first, before making harsh decisions over a broken heart,” the blonde explained her reasoning. “And if he is not capable of doing that, I don’t know what is he doing with the compass in his hand,” she finished.

“You’re right,” Kahlan said. “I should give him more credit,” she said pensively.

“You should,” Cara said. “Telling him the truth is the right thing to do,” Cara stated, trailing her fingers along one of Kahlan’s arms.

“But I’m still worried about how he’ll react to us,” Kahlan said frowning. “Not that I’m ashamed of you,” the brunette quickly explained. “It’s just that we’re together everyday, we would be rubbing our relationship in his face even without wanting too, you know?” Kahlan said. Cara just lay very quietly looking intently at her. “What?” Kahlan asked a little self consciously under the scrutiny of Cara’s gaze.

“You just said _relationship_ ,” the blonde said simply. “Referring to _us_ ,” she added, an involuntary smile forming on her lips.

“Does that bother you?” Kahlan asked hesitantly. The reply from the Mord’Sith came in the form of a loving kiss on her lips.

“Do you want to guess?” Cara challenged the brunette playfully after ending the passionate kiss.

“I’ll say, with a great amount of confidence, that you don’t mind at all,” Kahlan replied, adopting the blonde’s playful mood; it was something about the blonde she reveled in every single time it made an appearance.

“Maybe you can read Mord’Sith after all, Mother Confessor,” Cara quipped, stealing a quick kiss from the brunette beneath her.

“Maybe I can only read a very special Mord’Sith,” Kahlan said, smiling at Cara. The blonde tilted her head in agreement. “I’ll find a moment to talk to Richard and tell him everything,” Kahlan said, returning to their previous conversation. “I don’t want to hurt him, but I don’t see any other way,” she sighed.

“I know you don’t,” Cara nodded. “But I think that the only way to face things is head on, no subterfuges,” the blonde explained. “I don’t like to lie to Richard,” she said softly.

“Because he is the Lord Rahl?” Kahlan asked, although she suspected the true reason had nothing to do with the Rahl bond the Mord’Sith felt.

“Because he’s Richard,” Cara said, admitting it reluctantly. The blonde knew that Kahlan understood what she meant without the need to use more words.

Kahlan nodded and kissed Cara’s full lips, the blonde’s simple words confirming her suspicions. The Mord’Sith though of Richard as a friend and not only as her Lord Rahl. That was the true reason why Cara didn’t want to hurt Richard any more than the brunette did.

“Looks like tomorrow is going to be a day filled with important conversations,” Kahlan said pensively. “Between talking to Richard and discovering more about Alys, I’m sure it’s going to be a draining day.”

“Let’s leave that for tomorrow then,” Cara said, laying down on her back and motioning to Kahlan to lie close to her. “And get some sleep now.”

“You’re right,” Kahlan agreed, pulling the covers over both of them. The Confessor lay on her side and rested her head on the Mord’Sith’s shoulder, sliding one arm across the blonde’s stomach. Cara held the brunette around the waist and turned her head to rest her lips on the top of Kahlan’s head. The combined warmth of their bodies lulling both women to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Kahlan woke up and opened her eyes to a mass of blonde hair in the pillow next to her. The sight brought a sweet smile to her face and she sleepily moved her head to look at the window and ascertain what time it was. Kahlan smiled when she discovered that she still had a little time before dawn. The sun was hinting at its appearance, but there was no need to rush. The brunette moved her head back to gaze at the woman lying beside her. Cara was sleeping on her stomach, hands tucked under the pillow and head turned away from Kahlan. The Confessor had one arm draped over the blonde’s naked lower back and one of her legs tangled with Cara’s. The blankets, which had been covering them when she went to sleep, had slipped down to their waists during the night, giving Kahlan a beautiful view of Cara’s back in the predawn light.

Kahlan sighed and laid her head back on her pillow. She looked down at her own bare upper body and blushed, feeling a little embarrassed even with Cara sleeping. The brunette was surprised and yet comfortable with what had happened the night before. She was sure that if it had been anyone else doing what Cara had done, taking off her clothing like that, the Confessor would have felt like they where forcing her hand, making her take a step she was not ready to take. But Cara had made her feel safe and calm in the middle of the tornado that had been her nerves and fears.

Kahlan raised herself on one elbow to be able to peek at Cara’s face and smiled. The Mord’Sith had a relaxed expression that was not very common to see if she was awake. A lock of blonde hair was sticking to the Mord’Sith’s lips and Kahlan lifted her hand from Cara’s waist to tuck the golden tress behind Cara’s ear. This action made the blonde stir, but surprisingly Cara didn’t wake up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to touch, Kahlan let her fingers glide down Cara’s back, watching as the Mord’Sith took a deep breath, but still didn’t open her eyes. Kahlan didn’t want to awake the blonde, but she felt a sudden giddiness that compelled her to touch Cara. So the brunette let her fingers wander over the expanse of Cara’s back, tracing random patterns. She brushed her fingers up the blonde’s back until she reached Cara’s shoulder and leaned across the blonde to continue to caress the blonde’s arm down to her elbow, were it disappeared beneath the pillow.

The Confessor yelped suddenly, startled by the quick movement of the arm she was caressing as Cara’s hand shot back and grabbed Kahlan’s wrist, pulling the brunette’s arm to slide under the pillow and thus, forcing Kahlan to lie on top of her back.

“You startled me,” Kahlan said with a nervous chuckle, her heart still racing from the scare. Cara just lay still, the rise and fall of her chest against Kahlan deep and slow, not giving any indication that she was awake. “Cara, are you awake?” the brunette asked next to the blonde’s ear after a few moments of silence.

“No,” the Mord’Sith answered, making Kahlan laugh softly. The Confessor started to nibble on Cara’s tender earlobe, unconsciously pressing her naked breasts onto Cara’s back and feeling Cara press her backside into the brunette’s hips. “Now I’m starting to wake up,” the Mord’Sith said in a moan and sighed deeply. The blonde released Kahlan’s hand beneath her pillow and started to roll on her back.

Noticing Cara’s attempt at motion, the brunette slid back, giving her room to turn over. Holding herself up in on elbow, Kahlan pulled the sheet up to cover her chest. The Confessor felt a little foolish for it, but she felt self-conscious to be naked despite the fact that Cara was the one responsible for her state of undress. The romantic candle light of the night before helped her overcome her inhibitions and Cara’s gentle touches had made her forget any awkwardness she felt. But, no longer in the moment, and not nearly as comfortable with her body as the Mord’Sith seemed to be, Kahlan reacted out of shyness.

Cara settled herself on her back and stretched her body, feeling the slight chill air of the morning on her bare upper body. She turned her head to look at Kahlan and saw the Confessor was nervously looking down, a blush tinting her cheeks and one hand clutching the sheet over her chest. This brought an amused smile to Cara’s lips; since the blonde could still feel the heat of the Confessor’s lips on her ear and the teasing touch of the brunette’s nipples on her back, she privately found Kahlan’s sudden shyness highly endearing.

“Are you cold?” Cara asked, teasingly.

“The nights tend to be cold, you know?” Kahlan said, blushing even more and not lifting her gaze to meet Cara’s. She felt foolish that Cara had noticed her timidity but was unable to make herself let go of the sheet.

“Not this night,” Cara said, smiling. “I’m not cold,” she added mischievously, enjoying Kahlan’s shyness.

“You’re unique,” Kahlan said, looking up at Cara. “Your body is always warm. It’s like you have an internal source of heat,” the brunette said with amazement, her shyness fading as her eyes swept over Cara’s body.

“That’s true,” Cara agreed with a nod, her smile turning into an even more mischievous grin. “So don’t you think it would be smarter for you to get closer to me instead of using that thin sheet for warmth?” she asked teasingly, moving slowly, but decisively, towards the Confessor.

“It probably would be more effective,” Kahlan agreed laying back down on the bed, her hand letting go of its grip on the sheet and rising to comb through Cara’s hair while the Mord’Sith hovered over her.

“Let’s see,” Cara said huskily, pulling the sheet away and taking its place. She found herself holding her breath at the exciting contact of her bare flesh against Kahlan’s.

Kahlan closed her eyes with a sigh, smiling and letting herself relax against Cara’s skin as she basked in the warmth the blonde emanated.

“See? I’m a much better option, judging by the smile on your face,” Cara said smugly, tracing a line up Kahlan’s arm with her fingers.

“What makes you think you’re the one that put a smile on my face?” Kahlan asked, looking at the blonde and forcing her expression into a serious one.

Cara looked down at her with an amusedly, one eyebrow raised, and then lowered her head to place an open-mouthed kiss on Kahlan’s neck, just below her ear. Kahlan moaned softly, burying her hand in the Mord’Sith’s golden locks. Cara let her tongue and lips trace a wet path down Kahlan’s jaw, ending with a kiss in the corner of the brunette’s now smiling lips.

“You were saying?” the blonde asked playfully, meaningfully brushing her fingers against the wide and pleased smile Kahlan had on her lips.

“I’ve never met someone as smug as you,” Kahlan said, lacing her arms behind Cara’s neck. “But I love it,” the brunette whispered before she pulled Cara’s lips down towards her own.

The two shared a long and unhurried kiss, both taking the time to tenderly explore the other woman’s mouth. The sensation of their nipples grazing each other’s skins at the smallest of movements only added to the feel of intimacy between them. 

“So you have no problem admitting that?” Cara said, moving her lips to trail kisses down Kahlan’s neck as she slid one hand down the brunette’s side.

“No problem at all,” Kahlan said readily, greatly enjoying Cara’s slow kisses on her throat. “I actually find it really cute,” she finished, struggling to hold her laugh when she felt Cara’s annoyed sigh on her skin. As expected, the blonde didn’t appreciate Kahlan’s attempt at a compliment. Cara was about to lift her head from Kahlan’s shoulder to tell her exactly what she thought about Kahlan’s opinion, when the Confessor’s voice stopped her.

“And now comes the best,” Kahlan whispered amused.

“What do you mean by that?” Cara said petulantly, fixing the brunette with an inquisitive look.

“I mean this kissable pout on your lips,” Kahlan said, biting playfully on Cara’s protruding lower lip.

“Are you done talking nonsense?” Cara asked dryly, trying to hide the huskiness in her tone, making Kahlan laugh.

“It’s not nonsense,” Kahlan said, chuckling. “But I’ll stop now,” she promised, pursing her lips together tightly.

“You don’t have to close your mouth like that, though,” Cara said insinuatingly, relaxing Kahlan’s lips by gently tracing her fingers over them and slipping a finger between them. “You can be silent and still put your mouth to good use,” she whispered, removing her hand and capturing Kahlan’s lips in a languid kiss, feeling the Confessor’s fingers start to massage her scalp.

The kiss didn’t take long to grow in passion, exciting Kahlan and making her acutely aware of the great expanse of her skin that was in contact with Cara’s. The Mord’Sith kissed her with such passion and abandon; it was like the blonde’s sole purpose was making Kahlan melt under her touch. Kahlan truly enjoyed being this intimate with Cara; not only physically, which was thrilling by itself, but also emotionally. Their emotional connection significantly enhanced Kahlan’s desire for the blonde.

“We need to stop, before we get carried away,” Kahlan said breathlessly, pulling her lips briefly away from Cara’s.

“Let’s not worry about that just yet,” Cara replied hotly, letting one thigh slid between Kahlan’s, making the Confessor groan.

Kahlan arched her back rocking her hips into the pleasurable pressure between her legs and sucked Cara’s tongue into her mouth. The Confessor moved her hands to the blonde’s back, sinking her nails on Cara’s shoulder blades and making the Mord’Sith hiss in pleasure. They traded a few more heated kisses until Kahlan moved her hands to the blonde’s shoulders and kindly pushed the Mord’Sith away from her. The Confessor saw a disappointed look on Cara’s face and smiled sadly at the blonde; but after only a second that disappointed look transformed into a mischievous one.

“Okay,” Cara agreed, but the expression on her face made Kahlan suspicious. “Let me grab my agiels and gloves and get dressed,” the blonde said, looking at the side table on Kahlan’s side of the bed.

Kahlan found the reason for the blonde’s mischievous expression when Cara straddle her, grinding her hips onto Kahlan’s, letting out a soft moan. Kahlan bit her lip and whimpered, watching awestruck as Cara leaned towards the table to retrieve her gloves and weapons. The sight of Cara’s lean body, combined with the blonde’s weight pressing onto her and the warmth radiating from Cara’s core, made Kahlan loose her self imposed restrain. The Confessor moved her hands to cup Cara’s cheeks and pulled the blonde to meet her lips once again.

Cara eagerly accepted the kiss, gloves and agiels forgotten, opening her mouth to deepen it. She repositioned her legs, moving one of them back in between Kahlan’s as she straddled one of the brunette’s legs. Instinctively, the Mord’Sith started a slow rocking motion, feeling Kahlan respond by grinding on the flexing muscles of Cara’s thigh. Unrestrained desire clouded both of their minds. Cara was vaguely aware that they were going down a dangerous road again, but the Confessor ignited something different within her. The Mord’Sith was familiar with lust, but with Kahlan the lust was somehow intertwined with something else. Cara was finding she was hungry not only for Kahlan’s perfect body, but also for the emotional way Kahlan responded to her touch; the way Kahlan looked at her, eyes full of desire and longing, the way Kahlan would moan and shiver with every kiss or touch from Cara. The Confessor’s reactions made Cara crave everything that was Kahlan. Without stopping the increasing rocking motion, Cara left the brunette’s kiss and dragged her lips up Kahlan’s jaw to nibble the brunette’s earlobe.

“I want you, Kahlan,” Cara whispered hotly with a hint of desperation in her voice, thrusting her tight firmly against Kahlan’s center.

The Confessor let out a hissed breath at the firm contact of her center with Cara’s thigh, arching her back, pressing into the blonde. Cara’s words and the fervor that the brunette could perceive in her voice, made her lower belly tingle with desire that spread through her whole body like liquid fire. Cara made her feel wanted and cherished in a way that she had never known before. But the feeling that made her chest expand with love, also made it constrict with sadness, because they couldn’t consummate all that they felt for each other.

“I want you too,” Kahlan responded heartfeltly, turning her head to kiss Cara’s lips before she put some distance between their faces and shook her head sadly, conveying to Cara that even if both of them wanted this ferociously, it couldn’t happen. Kahlan’s heart skipped a beat when she watched a resolute expression appear on Cara’s beautiful face.

“I can’t accept that,” Cara said irritably, shaking her head with a furrowed brow. “When you’re about to release your power, I’ll move away,” the blonde said hurriedly, moving her hand to caress Kahlan’s cheek. “If you’re not touching me you can’t confess me,” she said with a victorious smile. But that smile faded away when she didn’t saw a similar expression on Kahlan’s face. She looked at the Confessor with an inquisitive and confused gaze.

“The release of my power when I… _you know_ … It’s different from when I focus it on someone,” Kahlan explained sadly, rubbing her hands soothingly up and down Cara’s back. “It’s uncontrolled, it oozes off of me without me being able to direct it,” she said, her voice cracking with sadness.

“I don’t understand,” Cara said confused, continuing to stroke Kahlan’s cheek.

“You have already stood next to me while I was confessing someone. You didn’t feel anything, right?” Kahlan asked, trying a new way of making the blonde understand. At Cara’s shake of the head she continued. “That’s because I’m aiming my power at the person I’m touching. But when I don’t have a target it shoots in all directions,” she explained. “The closest thing I can compare it too is the Con Dar; I confessed people without touching them when I was in the Con Dar,” she said, seeing the surprised and incredulous look on Cara’s face.

“But when you are in the Con Dar it’s because you’re mad with rage,” the blonde said, puzzled. “I don’t think you’re going to be mad at me for the things I’ll do to you.” Cara smirked.

Kahlan couldn’t hold the chuckle at Cara’s confident words, but it was clear that the blonde didn’t understand clearly the point she was trying to make. “Of course, when I’m in the Con Dar it’s the uncontrolled rage that allows me to confess without touch, but what I’m trying to say is that I have no control over my power in both cases. This means that my power is undirected and flows off of me without guidance; and if I can confess people without touching them when I’m in the Con Dar, when I’m blind with rage, the same could happen when I’m clouded with lust,” Kahlan said, looking into Cara’s eyes in search of understanding. “I’m afraid that it would affect you. I can’t risk it, I can’t risk you, Cara,” Kahlan said, moving one hand to caress Cara’s warm cheek.

“I understand,” Cara said, nodding. “But you still haven’t convinced me.” She kissed Kahlan’s cheek, smiling at the brunette’s bewildered expression.

“Didn’t you hear a word I just said, Cara?” Kahlan asked completely stunned at the blonde’s reaction.

“I did,” Cara said nonchalantly. “It makes sense, but it doesn’t worry me,” she said, shooting a smile Kahlan’s way and untangling herself from the Confessor to get up from the bed. She turned around and was about to sling her legs off of the bed when Kahlan stopped her.

The Confessor grabbed Cara’s upper arm, preventing the blonde from leaving the bed. Her mouth moved soundlessly; she wanted to say something to the blonde to make her change her mind, yell at her for being so careless, and also kiss her for being so endearingly stubborn.

“Close your mouth, you look like a fish,” Cara chuckled while using her fingers to gently close Kahlan’s hanging jaw. The Mord’Sith kissed the brunette’s lips one more time and got up to retrieve her leathers from the floor.

“But Cara, you don’t understand,” Kahlan began to argue, but an involuntary smile crept to her lips, which did nothing to support her protest.

“I do understand, Kahlan,” Cara said, cutting the Confessor off. “I may not be as knowledgeable about magic as Zedd is; all I know is that when I want something, I find a way to get it,” she said simply, her eyes searching the floor for her leathers. “And never in my life did I want something as much as I want to be with you, so I’ll be dead before I give up on you,” she said firmly, gathering her leathers against her chest and looking intensely at Kahlan.

Kahlan’s eyes welled up with tears hearing the passionate way in which Cara spoke. The brunette never imagined that she would ever hear Cara utter words like those, leaving no doubt that the Mord’Sith was completely committed to being with Kahlan. Kahlan sniffled quietly, as a tear made its way down her cheek. She watched as Cara approached her and, like the night before, used her fingers to dry Kahlan’s tears. The Confessor smiled brightly at the blonde, trading a look of complete trust and naked devotion.

“I’ll go freshen up,” Cara said, after pecking Kahlan sweetly on the lips.

“Do you want me to go downstairs and ask for heated water for you,” Kahlan called attentively to the retreating blonde.

“No, thanks, it’s better if the water is cold,” the blonde replied, looking over her shoulder at Kahlan with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh,” was all the brunette managed to say.

“And cover yourself, Kahlan,” Cara said teasingly, walking towards the basin behind the screen that divided the room and pouring some water from the pitcher beside it. “Or I’ll have to get back there and we won’t leave this room any time soon,” she said, the smirk evident in her voice.

Kahlan looked down at her practically naked body, her breasts slightly covered by her hair, and laughed. The brunette let herself fall down on the bed with a contented sigh, bending her knees with her feet planted on the mattress and then focused her attention on her thigh, as the sun’s light reflected from a glistening spot there. _Creator help me_ , she thought closing her eyes and smiling at the recognition of what, exactly, was the wetness on her leg that moments prior had been in contact with Cara’s center.

*****

Cara and Kahlan packed their things and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Zedd and Richard were already sitting at a table eating.

“Good morning,” Richard said to both women with a happy smile.

“Good morning,” Kahlan said smiling at Richard and nodding in Zedd’s direction too. Cara only gave a grunt and sat down in front of Richard, helping herself to some bread and cheese. Kahlan sat next to the blonde and took some food too.

“What’s the plan regarding Alys?” Richard asked after a few silent moments.

“We can’t leave her alone without helping her,” Kahlan said. “What are your thoughts Zedd?”

“I think I know of the amulet that probably brought her here,” Zedd said, his brow furrowed in thought. “She mentioned a triangle made of stone; there is an amulet like that called the Triangle of Anuyr. It allows time travel for those who possess magical powers,” he explained looking at the others.

“So only wizards can use it?” Cara asked.

“Not only wizards, I believe that the triangle can be used by anyone who possesses some kind of magic,” Zedd clarified. “But controlling the magic of the amulet would require a great amount of power, so wizards and sorceresses are the ones that can use the amulet effectively.” He paused. “Any other person, even if possessing power, like a Confessor for example,” he said looking at Kahlan. “Would most likely be unable to control in which time they would appear and could even be harmed in the process.”

“Alys said she saw a wizard with the triangle,” Richard recalled. “He was the one who pushed her into the hole the amulet created.”

“Yes, my boy,” Zedd agreed. “I believe that the wizard Alys mentioned was the one who opened a portal to our time and, for some reason, threw Alys in it,” the wizard grimaced in frustration at the possible motives someone could have to throw a child confessor back in time.

“Maybe it’s because she can’t stop talking and thinks that’s she’s so smart,” Cara said dryly, making Richard choke on his food and start laughing. Intrigued, Kahlan looked between the laughing Seeker and the annoyed Mord’Sith glaring at him. Zedd was smiling, with a knowing look on his face.

“Did I miss something?” Kahlan asked, her eyes searching her friends faces and landing on Cara’s sulking expression.

“I see that Cara didn’t tell you what happened last night when we brought Alys to Brejen’s house?” Richard asked Kahlan, noticing how Cara huffed and rolled her eyes beside the Confessor. “Alys seems very comfortable around Mord’Sith,” Richard said smirking and looking at Cara with a teasing expression.

“What happened?” Kahlan asked, trying to catch Cara’s eyes, but the Mord’Sith was staring at her plate so she turned to Richard.

“This is what happened,” Richard said still laughing.

~~~~~~

_Richard was leading Alys by the hand towards Brejen’s as Cara followed two steps behind them, constantly dismissing Alys’s attempts to engage the Mord’Sith in conversation. The moon was already out, but with the help of the various torches that illuminated the city paths, Richard could see the bored expression on Cara’s face when he glanced back at her._

_“Here we are,” Richard said as he stopped in front of Brejen’s house. “You have a good night and we’ll come back here to see you in the morning, okay?” the Seeker gently said to the small girl._

_“Okay,” Alys said, nodding her head with a big smile on her face. The young Confessor tugged on Richard’s sleeve and once he knelt to see what she wanted, she gave him a small peck on the cheek. “Good night,” Alys said and turned her head to look expectantly at Cara._

_The Mord’Sith watched the interaction between Richard and Alys with interest; the girl seemed to be very fond of the Seeker. She turned her head away once she saw the hopeful look on the petite blonde directed at her. To avoid any awkwardness, Cara started to step away from the pair, but her attention was caught by the girls alarmed voice._

_“Oh, what is this?” Alys said, kneeling on the ground and pointing at something among the dirt._

_Richard squinted to look at what the child was pointing at and Cara came to kneel beside them too. Before the Mord’Sith had any time to react, Alys got up and kissed her swiftly on the cheek. The little blonde girl ran towards the house, giggling and throwing a brief ‘nighty-night’ over her shoulder, leaving a stunned Mord’Sith and a laughing Seeker behind._

_~~~~~~_

“You should have seen her face,” Richard said to Kahlan, pointing at Cara and laughing at the memory. The Confessor chuckled, pursing her lips to stifle a full blown laugh; she didn’t want to laugh as openly as Richard because she could tell the blonde was slightly uncomfortable with the sneaky kiss the child had managed to steal from her.

“She was lucky not to have been hurt,” Cara said, not at all amused by Richard’s enjoyment. “She surprised me; I could have harmed her unintentionally.”

“But you didn’t,” Kahlan added, looking tenderly at the blonde beside her. She leaned closer, taking advantage of the fact that Richard was distracted with reenacting Cara’s expression from the night before for Zedd’s amusement. “Looks like you have a talent to make Confessors like you, on different levels of course,” Kahlan whispered in Cara’s ear.

“I’m not greedy,” Cara whispered back, enjoying Kahlan’s closeness and the brunette’s boldness in flirting with her, albeit subtly, in front of the men. “One Confessor is more than enough for me,” she said, giving Kahlan a quick wink that made the brunette’s smile widen immediately.

“Well, obviously, Alys needs to get back to her own time,” Kahlan said, turning away from Cara and directing everyone’s attention back to the problem at hand. “Do you know any spell that could accomplish that?” the brunette asked, looking at Zedd.

“There are no spells for that,” Zedd said shaking his head. “The only way to time travel is by using the Triangle of Anuyr,” the wizard informed them, his brow furrowed deeply.

“Where is this stone triangle?” Cara asked in confusion, judging by the wizard’s worried look that it wouldn’t be easy.

“The last I heard it was safely stored in the Wizard’s Keep,” Zedd said, lifting his head to look at the Mord’Sith. “In Aydindril.” He shifted his gaze to Kahlan.

“Aydindril,” Kahlan breathed out. “That’s far away and it would delay the quest for the Stone of Tears, we’ll have to split up,” she concluded, looking at Richard.

“Last time I checked, the compass was pointing in the general direction of Aydindril,” the Seeker said with a smile. “If it hasn’t changed, we’re heading that way anyways,” he said, shrugging. “And if it’s not, the quest will have to wait because I’m not letting you go alone to Aydindril with Alys,” Richard said, looking adoringly at Kahlan. The Confessor gave him a tight lipped smile and shifted uncomfortably on her seat, trying to gauge the blonde’s reaction from her peripheral vision. “I would go with you to-“

“Shouldn’t we find more about this girl?” Cara interrupted the Seeker suddenly, not liking were his speech was going. “I know she’s just a kid,” she amended, looking at Kahlan. “But the truth is we know nothing about her and she seems pretty comfortable around us,” she said, clearly annoyed about Alys’s demeanor around them. Cara felt a warm and calming hand on her leg, sly fingers making circles on her inner thigh, assuring her of its owner’s presence beside her.

Kahlan had seen Cara’s interruption for what it was, the blonde didn’t like the way Richard was looking and talking to her. The Mord’Sith sounded like herself, scolding them for their lack of caution, but Kahlan could detect the jealousy in Cara’s voice and it made her smile slightly, reassured that Cara cared enough about her to be actively jealous in front of both men, even if said jealously was well camouflaged with irritation about the lack of information regarding Alys.

The Confessor reached towards Cara’s side of the table to pick up an apple and rested her other hand on Cara’s side for support. The movement had little to do with her desire to eat the fruit; it was meant to reassure the blonde as much as to calm herself, because Richard’s words made her remember that she had to have a very serious and painful conversation with him in the near future. She squeezed the blonde’s side gently, feeling Cara release the breath she was holding and watching as the blonde gave her a look of acknowledgement about Kahlan’s intention in reassuring her.

“Alys is a Confessor, obviously, she is related to Kahlan somehow; either by being her descendent or, perhaps, Dennee’s,” Zedd reasoned, his gaze shifting from the blonde to the pensive Mother Confessor. “But Alys did mention that she felt like she had fallen into a history book,” Zedd recalled. “Maybe the great deeds of the Seeker of Truth are taught in Aydindril many years from now and Alys feels close to us because she knows our story,” he deducted, laying a proud hand on his grandson’s shoulder.

Cara just rolled her eyes, not impressed by Zedd’s reasoning. Alys didn’t seem that dangerous to her, but it wouldn’t hurt them to be more careful. She wasn’t worried, she trusted Kahlan’s judgment and the brunette seemed to trust the little girl, but she’d like to be sure. 

“We can always ask her,” Kahlan suggested with a smile, receiving nods from around the table. “Now, let’s go pick her up,” the Mother Confessor said, getting up from the table, the other three following closely behind.

*****

The morning was a little chilly, but the clear sky and bright sun hinted at the warm day ahead. The walk towards Brejen’s house was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Kahlan let her mind go back to Cara’s reaction to the effects of her confessor power; the blonde woman was so stubborn. _She just doesn’t give up, I don’t know why I’m even surprised anymore_ , Kahlan thought lovingly, with a smile.

“Can I know what you’re thinking about?” Richard said quietly beside Kahlan, interrupting the Confessor’s happy musings.

“Why do you ask?” Kahlan asked, surprised at Richard’s enquiry and not able to stop the faint blush that colored her cheeks.

“Your smile,” the Seeker said, simply. “You had a happy smile so they must have been pleasant thoughts,” he smiled brightly at Kahlan, his hopeful look letting the brunette know that the Seeker thought she was thinking about them.

“I was just thinking about Alys,” Kahlan lied, shrugging her shoulders. She felt bad for lying to Richard, but she couldn’t tell him here what she had been thinking about. She would talk to him later.

“Oh,” the Seeker said looking to the ground, his hand moving to the nape of his neck in a sheepish gesture and disappointment clear in his voice. “I thought… never mind,” he said with a dismissive smile, quickening his pace to catch up with Zedd.

The Confessor was aware of what went through Richard’s mind and she felt bad for him because she knew she would break his heart. _It’ll probably be the most difficult conversation I ever had with anyone_ , she thought sadly, biting her lip worriedly and nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. Kahlan turned her head to her right when she caught red in her peripheral vision.

“Everything okay?” Cara asked in a whisper, nodding to Richard’s back with her head.

“Yes,” Kahlan said smiling, putting the blonde’s worries at ease. Kahlan opened her mouth to explain further, but all that came out was a sad sigh. The Confessor knew the blonde didn’t need any other explanation when Cara gave her curt nod of understanding, conveying her support to the brunette with a kind gaze. Kahlan thanked her by squeezing Cara’s gloved hand briefly. 

When they arrived at Brejen’s house, his wife, Janis, was swiping the entrance. The woman lifted her head and smiled brightly at them.

“Good morning,” Janis greeted them. “Are you here for Alys?” she asked, stopping her current task and resting her hands on the broomstick. 

“Yes, we are,” Kahlan answered with a smile. “Is she awake?” the brunette asked, only now realizing that the child might still be asleep.

“That girl jumps out of the bed when the sun comes out,” Janis said laughing. “She’s always full of energy, but today she was extra excited because you told her you would be coming for her this morning,” the woman explained. “Have you had breakfast yet? Do you want to eat something inside?” Janis asked kindly, addressing the four of them.

“Thank you, but we already ate,” Zedd said kindly to Janis. “Could you, perhaps, tell Alys we are here?” the wizard asked politely.

“Right away,” Janis said, turning to go inside the house. “She is in the backyard,” the woman said over her shoulder before disappearing inside.

A few moments later a petite form shot through the door directly to Kahlan’s arms. The Mother Confessor laughed at Alys’s obvious joy at seeing her again and hugged the little blonde girl close to her.

“Hello Alys,” Kahlan said. “How are you?” she asked, pulling back and kneeling to look at the girl’s bright blue eyes.

“I’m _great_ ,” Alys answered, bouncing on her feet and leaned forward to kiss Kahlan on the cheek. The blond girl looked around and noticed the smile Cara had on her lips while she watched her reunion with the Mother Confessor, but the Mord’Sith quickly wiped it off as soon as she caught Alys looking at her. The young Confessor giggled and turned to Richard, greeting him with a kiss too as he obligingly bent down.

“Are you up for some more questions, little one?” Zedd said as he came close to Alys and ruffled her long hair.

“Of course,” the small blonde replied with a nod. “But wait, what is this?” Alys said, taking a couple of steps towards Cara and looking intently at a spot on the ground.

Cara snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “That trick doesn’t work twice, girl,” the taller blonde said with an amused smirk. This child sure was persistent in trying to be affectionate with her and the weird thing was that it didn’t bother Cara as much as she thought it would. “But I have to admit that you did manage to trick me yesterday,” the Mord’Sith said with an impressed nod of her head at the girl’s sneaky antics while she kneeled down to be at eye level with Alys.

“Thanks,” Alys said with a wide grin, resting one small hand on Cara’s shoulder. Seeing that the Mord’Sith didn’t shrug it off, the young Confessor pecked her on the cheek. “But it wasn’t that difficult to pull off,” she said cheekily, shrugging her shoulders as if fooling Cara was the easiest thing for her.

Cara rolled her eyes and swiftly got to her feat with a huff. “You caught me by surprise, that’s all,” the red clad woman said, a hint of annoyance showing in her voice at the child’s dismissive attitude. “Don’t try anything funny in the future, you might get hurt, you hear me?” Cara admonished in a stern voice. Alys just nodded her head, her gaze fixed on Cara’s and the smile never leaving her face.

“How would you like to come with us to Aydindril, Alys?” Richard asked.

“You’re taking me home?” the child asked, looking at the Seeker with wide eyes.

“Exactly,” Kahlan said, trying to avoid any further explanation in front of Brejen and Janis. She preferred to not discuss Alys’s problem in front of them; it was best to talk to the girl in private. “We are headed in Aydindril’s direction, we can take her with us,” she said to Brejen and Janis, who were in the door’s threshold watching.

“Wouldn’t a little girl be a burden in your quest, Seeker?” Brejen pointed out to Richard, looking somewhat skeptical with the arrangements and the apparent interest they had in the little girl.

“Not at all,” Richard said clearing his throat. “This way she can get home sooner,” the Seeker justified lamely. He could see the dubious look on Brejen’s face, but the man shrugged and didn’t say anything more. Richard was sure that, given the escort Alys would have, the man had concluded that he had nothing to worry about.

“We should go,” Cara advised, looking up at the sun to determine the time.

“Goodbye then, Alys,” Brejen said, opening his arms as the child ran towards him and hugged him.

“Thank you so much for helping me,” Alys said, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

“Don’t cry, honey,” Janis said, kneeling next to the girl and rubbing Alys’s back soothingly. “It was a pleasure to help you and having you here with us. And you helped me too, in the kitchen, remember?” she said smiling reassuringly.

“It was really fun,” Alys said, recalling the time she passed baking with the kind woman.

“Be good, okay?” Brejen told her, patting her cheek. “Sometimes I go to Aydindril, so maybe we’ll see each other again,” he said with a smile, winking at the blonde girl.

“Maybe,” Alys agreed halfheartedly, her smile diminishing a little. She gave them one more hug and turned around to her new traveling companions, who, in turn, said their goodbyes to the couple and walked away towards the city gates.

Once they passed the city gates, the Seeker took out the compass and opened it, holding it up in his hand. He looked at the direction the compass pointed and turned his head to look at Kahlan.

“I guess that settles it then,” Richard announced smiling. “We’re going to Aydindril.”


	11. Chapter 11

After they have been walking for a while, Zedd looked at Kahlan with a meaningful look. It was time they asked Alys the rest of their questions so that they could better understand what had happened to the young Confessor and her relationship to them.

“Alys,” the wizard began, addressing the girl. “We discussed your situation among ourselves, and based on the information you gave us yesterday, I think I know what happened to you,” he said, looking at Alys to make sure the girl was paying attention. “The wizard you saw probably opened a portal to travel back in time, using the amulet you told us about,” Zedd explained.

“I figured,” Alys stated matter-of-factly, making all of them chuckle, except Zedd, who furrowed his brow at Alys’s statement. All of them could see that the little blonde had no intention of mocking Zedd, but she ended up doing it unintentionally with her need to speed up the conversation to something she didn’t already know.

“Yes, well,” Zedd said, clearing his throat and looking sideways at the girl. “The only way to bring you back to your time is by using the same amulet. Normally, the one who casts the spell to open the portal keeps the amulet. So if this wizard only opened the portal to make you travel in time, the only way to send you back is to go to Aydindril and recover our time’s Triangle of Anuyr, which I’m sure is in the Wizard’s Keep,” Zedd explained the plan to Alys, seeing the girl nod as she accompanied his reasoning.

“For that to work you have to tell us the exact time you are from,” the wizard added. “The amulet can only make you travel years at a time, so you have to tell us how many years separate our time from yours,” he said, aware that this could be difficult for the girl to achieve.

“You need the exact number of years?” Alys asked, her eyes widening considerably.

“Yes, little one,” Zedd confirmed. “I’m know this might be difficult, but we’ll hel-“

“How old are you?” Alys asked Kahlan, cutting the wizard mid speech.

“Twenty-five,” the brunette answered, a little surprised at the question and smiling amused as Alys frowned her eyebrows in concentration and started counting through her fingers.

“I don’t think that will help you much Alys, mayb-“

“Shush,” Alys snapped, rising a hand to silence Richard and furrowing her eyebrows deeper in concentration. The adults looked at her amused, but none of them interrupted the girl’s efforts to find an answer. After a while Alys clapped her hands together once, an accomplished look on her face.

“My time is twenty years in the future,” the blonde Confessor said with total certainty.

At this answer, all of them stopped walking in shock, realizing that Alys probably knew them a lot better than they initially thought.

The young Confessor took a couple of steps before she noticed that she wasn’t being followed and turned around to see all four of them looking curiously at her. She grinned, amused at their shocked faces.

“I honestly thought you were from a far more distant future,” Zedd said chuckling; he was the first one to recover. “The way you talked about how this was like being in a history book, I assumed,” he trailed off, looking with new eyes at the girl in front of him.

“It is, I have to learn about this in class,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “The rift to the Underworld, the search for the Stone of Tears and whatnot,” Alys explained vaguely, conveying her boredom with a one-handed wagging motion in the air.

“So, you can tell us what happens in the future,” Richard said, becoming excited with the prospect of finding out where to find the Stone and what the future had in store for him.

“No, I can’t tell any of you anything about the future,” Alys said, shaking her head at Richard.

“Why not?” the Seeker asked confused.

“Zedd told me not to, he said it’s dangerous,” Alys said simply, before she could stop herself, realizing that she was already giving them information.

“It is dangerous to be aware of our own futures, we could be tempted to change things and that could lead to disastrous consequences that would change the course of our lives,” Zedd said nodding, agreeing with the small blonde’s assessment. “But I don’t remember telling you that, unless…” he trailed off, looking expectantly at Alys, waiting for the girl to confirm his suspicions.

“You’re the one who gives me classes, so yes, you told me this already,” Alys said huffing. “I mean, in your future that is my past,” she clarified, with a shake of her head.

“How old are you exactly?” Cara asked, her eyes going from Alys to the completely stunned Kahlan beside her.

“I’m ten,” Alys answered, smiling and turning to look at Kahlan.

“Wait,” Richard said, a wide grin appearing on his face while he looked between Alys and Kahlan. “Are you Kahlan’s daughter?” he asked cautiously. “I thought,” he waved a hand at Alys’s blond hair. “Dennee maybe…” He trailed off, and his grin went supernova. Looking at those bright blue eyes and at the girl’s obvious regal posture, her heritage was obvious. She was Kahlan’s child.

“Well, duh, it’s not that difficult to figure it out,” the girl said, her head tilting in a mocking gesture. “And no, aunt Dennee is not my mother,” Alys said laughing, but the sounded quickly died on her lips when she looked at Kahlan shocked face.

The brunette couldn’t say anything, when Alys said that she was from twenty years in the future her mind immediately reached the conclusion that the little girl was most certainly her daughter. Kahlan was so stunned that all she could do was stare at Alys. When they discovered that the young girl had come from the future, she knew that they had to be related. If Alys was a Confessor she had to come from Kahlan’s line, since the brunette and her sister were the only ones in the world who could give continuity to the line of Confessors. But it had never crossed her mind that they could be so close related. Like Zedd, she was under the impression that the girl had come from a far distant future.

“Oh Spirits,” Kahlan said in awe, while she approached Alys. The Mother Confessor closed the space between herself and the young Confessor and knelt in front of the girl. Kahlan brought her hands up to cup Alys’s cheeks and looked deeply into the girl’s eyes. The blue of those irises was so similar to her own and at the same time so unique.

“Hi mommy,” Alys said in a whisper, closing her small hands around Kahlan’s wrists.

“Hi sweetie,” Kahlan replied in a strangled whisper, the tears that had been forming in her eyes falling down her cheeks. The older Confessor kissed the blonde’s forehead and enclosed Alys in her arms in a tight hug that was fiercely returned by the small girl. “I can’t believe this,” Kahlan whispered in awe, distancing herself a little to look at Alys. “Are you sure?”

“I’m pretty sure I know my own mother,” Alys replied laughing at Kahlan’s question.

“I’m sorry, that was not the brightest of questions,” Kahlan said, shaking her head and laughing at herself along with Alys. The Mother Confessor turned around to look at her companions. Her eyes caught Richard in the front, his hands behind his head and an incredibly happy and dumbfounded expression on his face. Zedd stood next to his grandson, clapping him in the back with one hand while he smiled in Kahlan and Alys’s direction. Behind the two men, slightly to the side, Kahlan spotted Cara.

The Mord’Sith also had a stunned look on her face, but Kahlan could see so much more than that in those green orbs. She watched as Cara’s gaze went from Richard’s exhilarated face, to Zedd’s proud hand on the Seeker’s shoulders, to finally land on her. For a moment Cara looked like her world had come to an end, but this was just for a flicker of a second; the Mord’Sith quickly hardened her features into an expressionless mask, using her training to once again cover her emotions.

“This is too good to be true,” they all heard Richard whisper in awe, his grin impossibly wide.

“Don’t ask me anything else, though,” Alys said, bringing everyone’s attention back to her. “I only told you what was evident, but I can’t tell you anything more about the future,” she said, looking at Zedd for confirmation.

“That’s right, little one,” Zedd said nodding, admiring this girl’s responsibility and knowledge at such a young age… which didn’t really surprise him any longer; she was definitely her mother’s daughter.

“Let’s get going then,” Kahlan said, looking back at her daughter smiling. _My daughter, I can’t believe it_ , the brunette thought to herself. She kissed Alys once again, making the girl giggle, and got up with the intention of walking towards Cara to make sure the blonde was okay. But when she turned around a pair of strong, but masculine, arms enclosed her in an embrace. Kahlan didn’t even have time to react, the Seeker was beyond happy. It was only when she noticed Richard’s happy expression that a thought came over her. Judging by his exhilarated reaction it was obvious that Richard was certain that he was the father and Kahlan couldn’t rule that possibility out either. This made her seek Cara’s eyes and what she saw broke her heart. The Mord’Sith was staring at the ground, one hand tightly closed in a fist and the other one grabbing onto one of her agiels fiercely. Kahlan moved on instinct, freeing herself from Richard’s arms without a though at what her actions looked like and walked the small distance towards Cara.

“Now I know who to blame for that girl’s incessant babbling,” Cara said before Kahlan could utter a word, offering a smirk that looked like a cover for something else. “I should have figured it out yesterday that she has your blood, when the girl tricked me into a kiss,” Cara said calmly, but her eyes told another story as they bore intensely into Kahlan’s.

Kahlan faintly heard the men behind her laughing at Cara’s joke, but Kahlan knew with a dreaded certainty that Cara’s words could not be further from joking. Those words cut Kahlan like no words before had and the fire she could clearly see in the blonde’s eyes scared her; because Kahlan could see the pain mixed with confusion behind those eyes. Kahlan was painfully aware that the blonde meant her words literally, she wasn’t even implying or hinting at it, she clearly meant to say that Kahlan had tricked her into a kiss, tricked her into a romantic relationship that had no future.

“You’re being unfair to me, Cara,” Kahlan whispered harshly, her eyes showing how upset she was. She could understand that Cara was scared and she knew that the Mord’Sith was not used to trust people with her feelings and making herself vulnerable. She realized that the blonde was lashing out at her because she was scared of losing what they had being building, but that didn’t give Cara the right to be unfair to her. And Kahlan wasn’t going to let her get away with it.

The Mord’Sith lowered her gaze to the ground without replying. She watched as the brunette’s feet left her side, feeling a knot surge in her throat and an unsettling ache growing in her chest. The hurt look on Kahlan’s face made the blonde regret what she had said and especially the hurtful way in which she looked at Kahlan. But she couldn’t shake the dread feeling she had about this situation. When she saw the joyous look that appeared in Kahlan’s face at the news that Alys was in fact her daughter, Cara was thrilled for the brunette; she knew how that particular issue bothered Kahlan and apparently the Mother Confessor’s worries were unfunded because she would, in fact, be able to continue the line of Confessors. But the moment her eyes caught Richard’s happy expression while the Seeker watched Kahlan and Alysa as well as the wizard’s head nodding approvingly while he patted his grandson’s shoulder in a congratulating manner, Cara felt like the ground had been swept from beneath her feet.

It was obvious to her that Richard immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was the little girl’s father. And if Cara thought about it, what other option was there? Sure, Kahlan could find a mate to do that, but the affectionate and clearly familiar way in which Alys interacted with Richard lead her to believe that it probably was true; the Seeker must be Alys’s father. And even if he wasn’t, one thing was for sure: Cara certainly wasn’t the girl’s father.

Kahlan tried to compose herself, avoiding at all costs that Richard and Zedd noticed that something was upsetting her and it had to do with Cara. She forced a smile on her face, hoping that the tears that left her eyes could be misjudged by tears of joy.

“Why are you sad?” Alys asked, her eyes shifting from Kahlan to Cara.

“I’m not sad, sweetie,” Kahlan said, smiling to the girl in what she hopped was a reassuring way. “These are happy tears,” she said, combing her fingers through Alys’s dirty blond tresses. The brunette furrowed her brow when her daughter motioned for her to come closer with a small finger, so she knelt down and looked expectantly at the child.

“You do know that you can’t lie to a Confessor, don’t you?” Alys whispered, raising one eyebrow. Kahlan had to chuckle at the blonde’s statement.

“You’re right,” Kahlan admitted. “But don’t worry about it, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed,” the brunette reassured the girl.

“Hmm,” Alys replied wordlessly, not sounding totally convinced. “Okay, but don’t cry,” the girl said, drying Kahlan’s tears with her small hands. “I don’t like it when you cry, it makes me feel sad,” Alys said unhappily, a pout forming on her lips.

Those words transported Kahlan to the night before, when another blonde uttered similar ones to her with a look of devotion that she was sure she wouldn’t find now if she looked behind her. Kahlan took a deep breath and tried to forget that for now. Instead she focused on the beautiful, smart girl in front of her; her daughter.

“I won’t cry anymore then,” Kahlan said with a wide smile. It did not quite reach her eyes, but it was a start.

“Let’s go,” Richard said happily, coming to stand beside Kahlan and loping one arm around her waist. “We have a lot of ground to cover before we stop for the night,” he said, caressing Alys’s cheek tenderly and turning his head to kiss Kahlan’s cheek sweetly. He noticed Kahlan stiff at his touch, but figured it was due to nerves. He reasoned that Kahlan must still be surprised by the news; he, himself, was beyond stunned.

“Yes, let’s keep going,” Zedd said smiling. He turned around to look at Cara and a frown replaced his previous smile. “What’s wrong Cara?” he asked, taking in the stance of the blonde. The Mord’Sith had a stone look on her face and was clutching her unsheathed agiels in both hands; she looked like she was ready to attack someone.

Richard and Kahlan spun around to see what Zedd was referring to, both reaching for their weapons reflexively, while putting Alys protectively between them.

“Nothing is wrong,” Cara said, looking like she was caught by surprise by Zedd’s question. When she noticed that she had her agiels in her hands in a vice like grip she quickly explained. “I just thought I heard something, but it was just an animal.” She walked towards them and put her agiels away, instantly missing the calming pain her weapons brought that helped her to clear her thoughts and bury her feelings. She stopped next to Zedd and glanced over at Kahlan, seeing the knowing look on the brunette’s eyes. Leave it to Kahlan to notice when she was using her agiels for comfort instead of defense. Since there was no impending danger after all, they continue their march down the road.

*****

They had been walking all day long, stopping more than usual because of Alys; a little girl couldn’t keep up with their pace so it was unavoidable. Cara never said anything about this, surprising Richard and Zedd, who expected the blonde to complain about the various stops they made along the way, saying that it was a bad idea to bring a child with them to slow them down. Even Cara was surprised with herself, but seeing the girl happily chat with Kahlan and watching as the Mother Confessor laughed with the child, it made her hold her tongue. If Cara was being totally honest, she also found the girl entertaining and very smart for her age. She was particularly amused every time Richard tried to teach Alys something about the forest animals or plants and the young Confessor would already have the answer before the Seeker could finish explaining. Richard’s impressed expression was hilarious; Cara believed that Alys could actually know more about the forests of the Midlands than the former wood’s guide.

They stopped shortly before nightfall, taking advantage of the last of the sunlight to make camp and cook the evening meal. Zedd was already preparing the ingredients to make one of his stews. There were a vast number of rabbits in these woods, so Cara had taken a little deviation from the road to catch something for dinner before they stopped for the night. Richard made small talk with Zedd next to the fire, while Alys peeked over the wizard’s shoulder, observing Zedd’s culinary expertise. Cara sat across the fire from them, not really paying attention to what was going on around her. She was brought back to reality by a gentle touch on her shoulder.

“Can you help me fill the water skins?” Kahlan asked Cara quietly, resting one of her hands on Cara’s shoulder and feeling the stiffness of the Mord’Sith’s muscles, which only indicated that the blonde was far from being as calm as the façade she was presenting. Cara looked up at her and gave her a curt nod that conveyed her understanding that Kahlan wanted more than her help to fill the water skins. Cara stood up and grabbed the water skins from their packs. “We’ll be right back,” Kahlan said simply to the others, although she offered a sweet smile to Alys before turning around and walking towards the nearby stream, confident that Cara was following just behind her.

Kahlan was thrilled to discover that she had a daughter, or that she would eventually have one in the future. She had no idea what that meant to her relationship with Cara, but she was adamant to not let her imagination run with the worst scenarios based on the little information they had. That was exactly what Zedd had meant when he said knowing the future could be dangerous, they shouldn’t assume anything. Kahlan wasn’t certain about what would happen in her future, but she was certain that what she felt for Cara was too strong already and she would fight against anything that could come between her and the blonde; and that meant that she would fight Cara too, if needed. 

They walked in silence, the only sound being their soft footsteps on the forest ground. After they arrived at the stream, Kahlan kneeled at the margin and started filing the first water skin. The Confessor didn’t say a word to Cara, nor did she even acknowledge the blonde behind her. The silence treatment was starting to get on Cara’s nerves, as Kahlan filled all of the water skins without looking once at Cara. The Mord’Sith had been expecting a lecture from Kahlan on how inappropriate her previous behavior had been, but instead the Confessor just ignored her. Unable to stand the tension anymore and feeling guilty for how she had treated Kahlan before, the blonde broke the silence. 

“I guess I own you an apology,” Cara said meekly, her eyes shifting from the ground to Kahlan’s back and back to the ground again.

“You _guess_?” Kahlan asked with a hard voice, her eyebrows rising disbelievingly. The Confessor turned to stand and look at Cara, throwing the last filled water skin to the ground and planting her hands on her hips in irritation.

“Kahlan,” Cara started heartfelt, but closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. The blonde was annoyed with herself; at her jealously and at her inability to deal with her own feelings and put them into words. The moment she had said those words to Kahlan she had regretted them. She had stuck with it because of pure pride, but deep down she had felt a pang as she had seen the hurt expression appear on Kahlan’s face in response to her bitter words. “I’m sorry,” she finally let out quickly, but meaningfully. “I don’t know what came over me,” Cara added, rubbing her forehead with the pads of her fingers and then looking towards Kahlan, to see the brunette’s reaction.

“Are you sure you don’t know what came over you?” Kahlan asked, her gaze intently fixed on Cara’s. At the blonde’s confused look, the Confessor continued. “Are you sure you don’t know, Cara? Because I think I do, but I need to hear you say it,” Kahlan said, not backing down or letting the subject drop with Cara’s apology.

The Confessor was sure that the Mord’Sith was only protecting herself from heartbreak. Cara never gave herself, emotionally, to anyone in her life and the prospect of doing so must be the most terrifying thing the blonde could ever face. But Kahlan was adamant that Cara had to get past this difficulty, she had to trust Kahlan and trust that what Kahlan felt for her was real and the brunette would never intentionally hurt her. Kahlan believed that she had to confront Cara about this, the blonde had to let herself be more vulnerable in order for their relationship to grow stronger.

“What do you want me to say here, Kahlan?” Cara asked petulantly, stubbornly sticking to her pride. “That I’m jealous? Is that what you want to hear?” she spat defiantly at the brunette. She had an inkling that this was part of what Kahlan was fishing for, but it was not all of it. Although the blonde was aware that her behavior might be a little over board, she would be damned if she caved easily; even if she, herself, was aware of her own overreaction.

“If that’s what you’re feeling,” Kahlan said, her gaze never wavering from Cara’s. “Then yes, I want to hear it,” she finished. She could see by the tense muscles in Cara’s body and her clenched jaw that she was getting to the Mord’Sith. She didn’t enjoy provoking Cara like this, but the blonde had a particular way of dealing with emotional issues; since Cara wouldn’t speak freely about her insecurities, letting them burst in bitter comments, Kahlan knew that pushing Cara was the only way the blonde was going to admit her insecurities without feeling weak. _Hopefully_ , Kahlan thought, _one day I won’t need to push her into it_.

“Then there you go, I said it,” Cara said, shrugging her shoulders as if she didn’t care about their argument, but the way in which she bit her lower lip and her constantly shifty eyes betrayed her worry. It was as if she was watching herself sink lower and lower and she could do nothing to make it better, she just kept lashing out at Kahlan. She was sure that this time the Confessor would hit her or turn around and walk away without another word; but Kahlan surprised her by slowly approaching her.

“You are, _without a doubt_ , the most stubborn person I’ve ever met in my entire life,” Kahlan said firmly. She noticed Cara flinch at this and starting to turn away from her, but she prevented the blonde from doing so by catching her wrist and cupping her cheek to force Cara to look in her eyes. “And I love you with everything that I am,” she uttered intensely, looking deep into the startled green eyes locked with her own.

Those words rendered Cara speechless. The look in Kahlan’s eyes filled the brunette’s words with meaning, preventing Cara from doubting their truthfulness. All her life the Mord’Sith had run from words like those, which reflected deep feelings that she was sure she was incapable of feeling. And now she had Kahlan in front of her, even after Cara had hurt her, uttering them with so much devotion that it made Cara feel invincible.

The Confessor moved her hands to catch Cara’s and brought the blonde’s arms to encircle her waist. “This is where I want to be, Cara,” Kahlan whispered, giving Cara a little more reassurance as she watched the turmoil going on in the blonde’s eyes.

Cara wrapped her arms firmly around the brunette, closing the small gap between their bodies and fusing their lips together in a tender, but confident kiss. The blonde felt Kahlan’s hands entangle in her hair, which only made her deepen the kiss, trying to convey in the caress of her lips her apology and the love she felt for Kahlan. When Cara separated herself from Kahlan, the blonde fixed the Confessor with a passionate gaze, staring into her eyes for a moment before she spoke.

“I love you too, Kahlan,” Cara said tenderly, forcing herself to overcome her aversion to verbalizing such feelings, ones she didn’t even think herself capable of feeling, but knowing Kahlan had changed that. Cara squeezed the brunette’s waist and captured Kahlan’s lips in brief kiss, sealing her words. The bright smile that appeared on Kahlan’s face after, illuminating her blue eyes, made Cara’s effort of putting her feelings into words completely worth it. “And I am sorry for what I said earlier,” the blonde continued with a sigh, closing her eyes in a self-deprecating manner. “When I looked at Richard’s face, jealousy consumed me like never before.”

“This is what Zedd was referring to when he said that knowing our future could be dangerous,” Kahlan said. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions without knowing the truth. I don’t know what will happen in the future Cara, all I know is that right now there’s no one I see myself with but you,” she reassured the Mord’Sith.

“You could change your mind,” Cara said sadly. “You do have a daughter,” Cara recalled, looking pointedly at Kahlan.

“I don’t think that is going to happen,” Kahlan said with a smile, shaking her head. “And as for Alys, you know that one of my duties as the Mother Confessor, and one of the only two Confessors alive, is to reestablish the line of Confessors,” Kahlan said with a sigh, combing her fingers soothingly through Cara’s tresses. She always wanted kids and after all, Confessor’s were known for taking mates for that sole purpose only. The idea never appealed to her, but the truth was that Cara could give her everything, except a child. So, resorting to find a mate that could provide her a child would probably be her only choice.

“Don’t get me wrong, I _am_ good,” Cara said smirking. “But I’m not _that_ good,” she said with a small chuckle. “It’s just that the idea of someone else touching you is enough to make me want to kill anyone in a five-mile radius,” she said, her eyebrows furrowing, showing her intense displeasure.

“Me included, if what you said this morning is anything to go by,” Kahlan said playfully, but the sad look on her face was evidence of the hurt that she felt at Cara’s cutting words. But at the regretful look that once again returned to Cara’s green eyes she quickly added. “I understand why you did it and I forgive you,” Kahlan said, moving one hand to reassuringly cup Cara’s cheek. “Just promise me that you’ll trust me and trust that I love you,” she asked Cara with pleading eyes.

“I do trust you Kahlan,” Cara quickly said. “I’m not used to having someone love me the way you do,” she said apprehensively. “These feelings are new to me and I’m still learning how to deal with them.”

“I know,” Kahlan reassured the blonde. “We’ll learn together,” she said, leaning in for a sweet kiss.

She ended the kiss and smiled cheerfully at Cara. She was happy that she had cleared the air with the Mord’Sith; Kahlan was sure that the acid she had felt in her stomach since that morning would destroy her from the inside out if she had taken any longer to talk to Cara. Kahlan placed one more kiss on Cara’s lips, tenderly brushing her hand against the back of Cara’s neck as she disentangled herself from the blonde’s arms in order to get back to camp.

“Kahlan,” Cara said thoughtfully, bending down to pick up the full water skins. “She has your eyes, have you noticed that?” the blonde asked with a smile.

“She does, doesn’t she?” Kahlan agreed, recalling Alys’s clear blue eyes.

“And your tendency to relish in talking,” she added with a raised eyebrow. “I guess no one is perfect, right?” she said playfully, knowing that that would raise a laugh out of Kahlan.

Sure enough, the Confessor laughed and playfully slapped Cara’s shoulder. “Not everybody is as quiet as you,” Kahlan said, starting to walk back towards camp with the Mord’Sith beside her. 

“I only talk when I have something important to say,” Cara said. “I never waste my words, Confessor,” she said, looking sideways at Kahlan.

“Of course, because snarky remarks are always an important addition to any conversation,” Kahlan said sarcastically, the playful smile never leaving her lips. She was so relieved to be once again indulging in this kind of banter with Cara; it assured her that they were past the fight.

Cara slid one arm around Kahlan’s waist, bringing the Confessor back to her as she paused. “I love you,” the blonde whispered in Kahlan’s ear and captured the brunette’s earlobe in her lips.

Hearing those three simple words from Cara’s mouth again, made Kahlan shiver with happiness. “You don’t play fair,” Kahlan said chuckling, lifting one hand to cup the back of Cara’s neck.

“I know,” Cara stated with a smirk, letting go of Kahlan as they continued walking back to camp. “But you love it,” she added, winking at a beaming Kahlan.

*****

When Cara and Kahlan got back to camp they found Zedd still by the fire, hovering over the pot, with Richard sitting next to him, while Alys talked animatedly about something in front of them. The girl looked up at the women and beamed when she saw the smiles on both women’s faces.

“Everything okay?” Richard asked absentmindedly, after turning around to look at Kahlan.

“Yes,” the Mother Confessor answered with a pensive expression. “Actually, can I talk to you alone for a moment?” Kahlan asked the Seeker. 

“Of course,” Richard replied grinning, getting up and walking towards the brunette.

“We’ll be back in a few,” Kahlan said to Cara, passing the water skins she was also carrying to the blonde and squeezing her gloved hand in the process. Cara gave her an encouraging nod accompanied by small smile, indications that the blonde had a pretty good idea of what Kahlan wanted to say to the Seeker.

“Come sit with us,” a voice said behind Cara. The Mord’Sith looked down to find Alys next to her with a hopeful smile on her face.

“You guys behave while we’re gone,” Richard said playfully, earning him a glare from Cara and a snort from the Zedd.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of them both,” Alys said decisively, grabbing Cara’s hand and pulling the Mord’Sith towards the fire.

Cara rolled her eyes at the little girl, but let herself be dragged across the camp. She looked behind her to find Kahlan smiling gently at her, the Confessor’s head tilting to the side in an endearing way that made Cara want to retrace her steps and kiss the brunette until they needed to stop for air. But she only sighed in mock-annoyance and followed Alys towards the fire.

*****

Kahlan lead Richard toward the stream, where she and Cara had been only moments before. She stopped in the middle of the path and turned towards the Seeker with a worried expression. This was it; she was going to tell Richard about how her feelings for him had changed and that she wasn’t in love with him anymore. But before she could say something, Richard beat her to it.

“I’m the happiest man alive right now, Kahlan” he said, cupping her cheeks tenderly, a wide grin illuminating his face. “I can’t believe that we got to meet our daughter,” he beamed.

His words confirmed Kahlan’s suspicion; he did believe that he was Alys’s father. Although she couldn’t deny this with certainty either, what she was about to tell him diminished those chances drastically.

“We don’t know that for sure Richard,” Kahlan said carefully, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but knowing that it was inevitable.

“What do you mean?” he said confused. “I always knew we were going to overcome our love’s obstacles and you just have to look at her,” he stated. At the confused expression on Kahlan’s face he explained. “She has your eyes, but the color of her hair… My hair was that same color when I was a child,” he recalled, his grin returning to his lips. “And back at the inn last night, Alys was going to call me something instead of my name, I’m sure she was going to say father,” he said happily to Kahlan.

The brunette did remember how Alys seemed to stumble in her own words at that moment, but maybe Richard was seeing what he wanted to see. It was obvious that Alys knew all of them and it was pointless to jump to conclusions, as she had told Cara. She was going to say exactly that to Richard when a crackling noise behind her caught her attention. She quickly turned around when she saw Richard look intently over her shoulder.

“Who’s there?” the Seeker demanded, unsheathing his sword, while Kahlan reached for her daggers as well.

“An old man in need of help, please,” a scratching voice sounded from a slumped form in between the bushes. It looked like a man, covered in a cloak, walking towards them.

“Show yourself,” Kahlan demanded and watched as the man uncovered his head, moving one fragile hand to his chest in an attempt to stop a coughing fit. He looked like a wanderer, his robs were dirty and torn. The thin long air glued to his greasy skin, the wrinkles in his face bore witness to the man’s old age.

Richard traded a worried look with Kahlan, but immediately moved to help the man. The Seeker guided him to sit on a rock and waited for him to stop coughing.

“What’s your name?” Richard asked once the man’s breath returned to normal.

“My name is Grestes,” he answered tiredly. “I’m traveling to a town a day from here, but I’m not young anymore and the chill air of the night bothers me more than I anticipated,” he explained slowly, clinging to Richard’s arm for support when a new coughing fit overcame him.

“Could you give me some water?” Grestes asked Richard. “It always helps with the cough and my water skin is dry.”

“I’ll go to the camp and bring you some water,” the Seeker said, looking at Kahlan and silently asking her if she minded. Kahlan gave him a nod, telling him to go and moved over to approach Grestes as the Seeker left.

Richard was only a few steps down the path, his back turned to them, when Grestes lifted his gaze to look Kahlan in the eyes. Something in the man’s eyes made her uneasy and before she could figure out what it was, Grestes lifted his arm and fire shot out of his hand. Kahlan’s eyes widened as she saw the flames coming in her direction. Before she could react, the flames ricocheted off of something and suddenly an agonizing scream pierced the air at the same time as the flames hit Grestes in the shoulder. 

Richard immediately turned back around, sword in hand and advanced towards the cloak covered old man. Before he could reach him, though, Grestes clutched an amulet that was around his neck, previously covered by his clothes, and pronounced some words under his breath, making him vanish in the air. The Seeker didn’t waste any more time and hurried towards Kahlan and what appeared to be an unconscious Alys in her arms.

“Kahlan, what happened?” Richard asked the brunette, while he looked down at the small girl.

“She appeared out of nowhere in front of me and somehow prevented the flames to get to me,” Kahlan said, tears falling down her face while she cradled an unconscious Alys in her arms. The Mother Confessor lifted one of the girl’s hands and saw that the palms were completely burnt. “Spirits, look at her hands,” Kahlan whispered worriedly.

“What happened?” Cara said behind Kahlan, her breath heavy from sprinting there from the camp.

“Cara,” Kahlan uttered in a strangled sob and motioned helplessly to the child in her arms.

“ _Damn girl_ , I told her that playing hide and seek in the woods was dangerous, but that girl is better at talking than at listening,” the Mord’Sith cursed more to herself than to her companions.

“I’ll go get Zedd to help,” Richard said and jumped to his feet, running back in the camp’s direction without waiting for a reply from the women.

“Give her to me,” Cara said without wait, already lifting Alys in her arms. “It’ll be faster if we bring her to Zedd than the other way around,” the blonde explained with a roll of her eyes. Why hadn’t Richard though of that first?

“Let’s go then,” Kahlan said, sniffling discretely and drying her tears with one hand.

“Look at me, Kahlan,” Cara said while she stood with Alys safely cradled in her arms. “Stop crying, you know I don’t like it,” she said half-jokingly, trying to calm the Confessor down. “Alys is going to be okay. The wizard will help her,” she stated firmly, with a conviction that she hopped would put the brunette at ease. When Kahlan nodded her head, Cara leaned in to kiss her gently in the lips.

“Thank you,” Kahlan said with a smile, inhaling deeply. “I needed that. Now let’s hurry and get back to Zedd,” she said, eyes alert for any danger while jogging towards their camp with the Mord’Sith beside her carrying Alys.

*****

“He was no old man in need of help, he was a wizard,” Zedd growled, after hearing what happened in the woods. He was using magic to cure the burnt marks on Alys’s palm as the girl lay, still unconscious, on a bedroll.

“The amulet he used to get away,” Richard recalled. “I recognized it,” he stated with a nod of his head. “It looked like the one that wizard used before to find Kahlan and get her back to Aydindril.”

“Oloron’s amulet,” Zedd said, recalling their last trip to Aydindril, which had split Kahlan in two. They had left the restored amulet in the Wizard’s Keep; there always had to be a safeguard to find the Mother Confessor if she was needed. “Only a skilled wizard can use the amulet and find the Mother Confessor,” the wizard mused out loud. “This man, whoever he is, is a powerful wizard that is looking specifically for you, my dear,” Zedd concluded, lifting his head to look worriedly at the Mother Confessor in front of him. 

“I didn’t recognize him,” Kahlan said from the other side of Alys’s prone body. The brunette was caressing her daughter’s cheek in a comforting gesture, even if the girl probably couldn’t feel it.

“By your description I don’t recognize him either, but he could also have been using a masking spell,” Zedd said, his brow furrowed in effort because of the energy he was expending to help Alys. “I can’t do anything more for her injuries, she was struck with wizards fire so I can’t cure it totally,” he said looking into Kahlan’s concerned eyes. “But don’t worry my child, she’s just drained right now. She’ll wake up and the burns will definitely heal in no time on their own,” he reassured the Confessor. 

“Thank the Creator,” Kahlan whispered and sighed with relief.

“Is anyone else wondering how the girl could even have done that in the first place?” Cara said dryly, pointing out the strangeness of the situation.

“I think I know,” Richard said, nodding his head in thought, a small smile appearing on his lips. “Is it possible for a Confessor to have magical powers, other than the Confessor’s powers?” the Seeker asked Zedd.

“I never heard of such thing, but in theory it wouldn’t be impossible,” Zedd said pensively, watching as the smile on his grandson’s face widened at his words of confirmation. “Are you suggesting that this girl, beyond being a Confessor is also a sorceress?” Zedd asked the Seeker, already following his grandson’s train of thought.

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting,” Richard confirmed with a full grin, walking towards Kahlan and kneeling beside the brunette. “I’m saying that this probably means that Alys has magical blood in her; my blood,” he said, looking expectantly at Zedd to see if what made perfect sense to him also made sense to his wiser grandfather.

“You may be right, my boy,” Zedd said grinning. “Otherwise it would be impossible for her to stop the wizard’s fire and judging by the burnt marks in her hands she probably can’t harness her powers completely yet,” he said, analyzing again the small blonde’s injuries.

“I told you Kahlan,” Richard whispered to the silent Mother Confessor. “It couldn’t be more obvious that she’s our daughter,” he said, his exhilarated mood preventing him to see that Kahlan wasn’t exactly sharing his happiness.

“Richard stop,” Kahlan snapped. “Alys is hurt, can we focus on the problem at hand, please?” the Mother Confessor said sternly, her voice louder than she intended.

“I’m sorry, Kahlan,” Richard apologized, his eyes showing his surprise at Kahlan’s outburst. “Zedd already said she was going to be fine, you don’t have to be so upset,” he said, believing her anger stemmed from her worry over Alys.

“I heard Zedd,” Kahlan replied, her voice lowering but remaining hard. “But I’ll stop worrying when she opens her eyes and tells me she’s okay,” the brunette said harshly. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll go get a water skin for her to drink when she wakes up,” Kahlan said more calmly, getting to her feet and walking towards their bags where Cara stood, agiels in hand and eyes roaming the area around them. 

Zedd followed Kahlan with his eyes, noticing that there was more to her irritated outburst than the worry about Alys’s condition. He had observed her reaction to Richard’s deductions and it seemed to him that she was not as happy about them as his grandson was. A child would mean that Richard and Kahlan would have to be intimate with each other and that act would certainly leave Richard confessed. This had always worried Kahlan, but watching Kahlan and Cara’s interactions lately, Zedd suspected that the Confessor’s reluctance towards Richard had more to it than the usual obstacles. He had a feeling that his boy was going to have to deal with more pain in the future than he thought. The wizard patted the Seeker’s shoulder comfortingly, giving him an encouraging look in hopes of cheering him up.

“Did your hear-“ Kahlan started when she got near Cara, but was cut off by the blonde.

“Yes, I did,” she said curtly. “I’m trying not to jump to conclusions as you asked, but you can see how difficult that is,” she whispered, crouching down to retrieve a water skin from her pack.

“Cara, I know that what Richard is saying makes sense, but you promised me you would trust me,” Kahlan said, kneeling besides Cara and resting one warm hand on Cara’s forearm.

“And I do,” Cara stated firmly. “Don’t worry about that, just don’t expect me to look happy with Richard’s theory,” the blonde said, lifting one eyebrow and giving Kahlan the water skin.

“Just remember that it’s nothing but a theory,” Kahlan said, squeezing Cara’s arm and then using it for leverage to get up.

“A theory that makes perfect sense and is backed by a very wise wizard,” Cara mumbled while she got to her feet. Kahlan sighed and looked at her with a tired and pleading look. “I’m not like you, I like to vent, that doesn’t mean that I’m not here supporting you,” Cara said. The Mother Confessor smiled and mouthed to the Mord’Sith ‘ _I know_.’ Cara watched with a sad look as the brunette turned around and returned to her place beside Alys.

*****

The wizard was standing in the center of a room with stone walls and impeccable marble floors, glaring at the polished rock. His hands were clasped behind his back, holding himself tall as if he were a D’Haran general; his long dark hair was once again perfectly combed and he wore his usual dark blue robes as the illusion of the filthy rags he had disguised himself with moments prior fell away. A slave girl dressed in a white toga stood close to the wall, holding a plate with various fruits and wine for him to use if he so wished. He heard firm steps echoing behind him and didn’t even bother to turn around to see who it was before speaking.

“Everything ready, Mistress?” he asked in a bored tone.

“Yes,” a tall dark haired Mord’Sith replied with certainty. “I have my squad ready to depart. It will be a good opportunity to test the new girl I finished re-breaking yesterday,” a sneer crossed her face.

“Mistress Garren, this is a mission of utmost importance,” the Wizard said, turning around to meet the cold eyes of the red clad woman. “I don’t think that it’s the time to take a newbie for a stroll,” he snapped at her.

“Watch your tone, wizard,” Garren said menacingly. “Don’t forget for a second that even a freshly broken Mord’Sith could kill you without any trouble,” she watched in satisfaction as the man clenched his jaw and said nothing at the reminder of his helplessness. “My sisters and I only do what you ask because Lord Rahl ordered us too. No one in this temple answers to you and they never will,” she said viciously.

“I’m perfectly aware of that, Mistress Garren,” he said with venom. “But I still tell you what to do and taking a new girl could be risky,” he smiled coldly.

“Maybe you tell me _what_ to do,” she stated in a bored tone. “But not _how_ I do it. You obviously know little about Mord’Sith. I choose the sisters who form the squad that I lead.”

“Very well then,” he relented, trusting that although the Mord’Sith were cocky and all together unbearable, they were also nothing short of efficient; that is why he had allied himself to them and their master. “I’m sure you know your sisters best. Just bring the little brat to me,” he said with venom, his features contorting in a sneer while he absentmindedly lifted one hand to his sore shoulder. “And keep in mind that though she’s just a child, she’s still a Confessor. Despite all your masterful abilities, her touch is still fatal to you and your sisters.” 

“We leave at dawn,” Garren said and turned around to walk out of the room.

Neither one of them noticed a silhouette hiding in the shadows, spying on the conversation.


	12. Chapter 12

The night had fallen and Alys was still unconscious, laid out on her bedroll, hands wrapped in bandages. Kahlan had refused to leave her place beside her daughter, despite Zedd’s reassurances that the child would be fine, and barely paid attention to the others as they set up camp around the two Confessors. Cara had quietly taken a seat at the girl’s other side, watching in supportive silence as Kahlan murmured quiet prayers, pleading for her daughter to awaken. The Confessor wondered how her future-self was feeling. Was she wondering if her child would ever make it back to her proper time, or was she already grieving for a child she _knew_ was never coming back? Kahlan closed her eyes, for a moment succumbing to her emotions as she felt tears gather behind her eyelids; she didn’t think she could stand raising Alys, knowing she would lose her. The elder Confessor knew she was overreacting, but she just needed Alys to wake up and be ok. A soft sound from Cara made Kahlan open her eyes, expecting to meet Cara’s concerned look, but the Mord’Sith’s gaze, which had taken turns shifting between the two Confessor’s over the course of the evening, was currently focused on the little blonde girl who was finally beginning to stir.

“Mom?” Alys said hoarsely, looking at Cara groggily with half closed eyes. “You look different,” she stated in confusion, scrunching her nose curiously and squinting at Cara as she inspected the older blonde’s face.

“I bet,” Cara said with a snort. “That’s because I’m not her. Look to your right instead,” Cara informed the girl with a small smile and nodded her head in Kahlan’s direction.

“Mommy…” Alys let out with a breath after turning her head to the right, straining her eyes in the weak light provided by the fire to see Kahlan smiling down at her. The little girl was still clearly confused and not yet wholly alert.

“Hey sweetie,” the Confessor whispered, struggling to keep from crying as her throat constricted with the relief that invaded her at seeing that the little blonde was now awake. “How are you feeling?” she asked with concern, affectionately brushing the girl’s hair from her face.

“I’m…” Alys trailed off, looking with confusion from a stoic Cara to a concerned Kahlan. “What happened?” she asked, focusing her gaze on Kahlan, her eyebrows furrowing with the effort of trying to remember why she was laying there.

“You were struck by wizard’s fire,” Kahlan explained, wincing in concern as her mind again replayed how the girl had been hurt protecting her. “You jumped in front of it to save me,” Kahlan added softly, her voice laded with worry and pride.

Alys lifted her hands, peering at the bandages around her palms, the stringent scent of Zedd’s burn salve making Kahlan’s own hands tingle in sympathy. “Oh, right,” the young Confessor said dismissively, flexing her hands tentatively and barely wincing at the pain a wound like that was supposed to instigate. This caught Cara’s attention and the blonde looked up at Kahlan, seeing the same expression of recognition and surprise on the brunette’s face.

“You have to be careful with your hands, sweetie,” Kahlan said, covering the girl’s hands with her own to stop the little blonde from moving them. “I know it must hurt, but Zedd can’t really do much else for you,” she explained apologetically.

“I know he can’t,” Alys said blinking her eyes tiredly, clearly still feeling out of sorts. “It doesn’t hurt as much as you think,” she added in a sleepy whisper to reassure Kahlan.

“Here, have something to drink,” Cara offered, extending her water skin towards the girl and eyeing her curiously as Alys obediently sat up and let Cara help her take a few sips, careful not to tilt the water skin too far and make the girl choke . “What do you mean it doesn’t hurt? You burnt your hands,” Cara asked, moving one arm to Alys’s back instinctively to support the fragile girl as she set the water skin aside. 

“Thanks,” Alys said, smiling up at Cara and letting her body go limp against Cara’s side. “I’ve burnt them before like this,” Alys explained, looking unconcernedly down at her palms through heavy lids while snuggling closer to Cara. “Zedd healed the most of it too and they went back to normal in less than a day,” she added, closing her eyes and burrowing her face in Cara’s chest.

The Mord’Sith had a puzzled expression on her face as she watched the young confessor get comfortable against her body. Cara looked up at Kahlan and sighed when she saw the utterly amused expression on the Confessor’s face. Kahlan caught Cara’s gaze and mouthed ‘ _so cute_ ’ to the blonde woman, watching in delight as Cara scoffed at her and cleared her throat awkwardly. 

“Were you attacked with wizard’s fire before?” the Mord’Sith asked in a low voice, turning her attention back to Alys. She was confused as to why a child would have been put in the position of having to defend herself from that, especially Kahlan’s child, who Cara presumed would be well protected.

“Naw,” Alys mumbled into Cara’s leather. “I just put my hand were I shouldn’t have,” she explained vaguely with a sleepy sigh, visibly on her way to falling back asleep.

Noticing that the girl was beginning to fall back asleep, Cara looked over at Kahlan for help, her eyes comically wide. Surely no one expected her to be a pillow for the child. Kahlan chuckled slightly at Cara’s panicked expression and crawled next to the two blondes to lift Alys off of Cara, transferring her back to the pallet.

“You learnt how to deflect wizard’s fire from your father didn’t you?” Richard said, walking over as he noticed Alys was awake and catching the tail end of the conversation, the question sounding more like an affirmation than a question.

“Don’t be silly, I don’t have a father,” Alys replied automatically, yawning as she let Kahlan pull her away from Cara’s side and tuck the covers around her.

At her words every adult froze and looked expectantly at Alys. Even Zedd got up from his place next to the fire and came to stand behind his grandson. Kahlan looked at Alys with astonishment and then lifted her gaze to meet Cara’s equally surprised one. Both women looked down again at the girl between them, as Alys suddenly opened her eyes wide and inhaled through her teeth, clearly realizing what she had absentmindedly told them in her state of drowsiness.

“You don’t have a father?” Richard asked disbelievingly, chuckling nervously as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry. Was it possible that he would die while Alys was still young? That would certainly explain why the blonde Confessor seemed to seek his company as if she hadn’t see him in a long time.

“Hmm… I-I mean… hmmm,” Alys stuttered, her eyes shifting nervously from side to side, trying to avoid Richard’s inquisitive look. She clutched one fist on Kahlan’s dress and the other one on Cara’s thigh, silently asking both women for help. Recognizing the gesture, Kahlan opened her mouth to tell Richard to let Alys rest when he spoke. 

“Am I dead in your time?” the Seeker let out in an unsure whisper, voicing his fear and making Cara and Kahlan stare at him in bewilderment.

“Dead?” Alys echoed in utter confusion, sitting up and looking quizzically at the man standing in front of her as if he had said the most absurd thing the little girl could think of.

“Then why do you say you don’t have a father? You mean you don’t know him?” Richard started uncomfortably, his voice sounded unsure. “Your mother just took a mate?” he asked, fearful to hear the answer.

“Richard how about you let the girl breathe and rest?” Cara said calmly. “She’s obviously not up to an interrogation right now,” her voice hardened a little as she felt a sense of protectiveness towards the distressed girl beside her.

“Why do you care?” Richard snapped at Cara, making everyone look at him in surprise, except for Cara, who looked at him with something akin to understanding. That look, one Richard couldn’t completely identify, only made Richard’s stomach churn with unease. A hard knot of dread lodged in his belly and he turned to the one person who could answer his only real question. “Did she, Alys?” he demanded, regretting his tone immediately, but unable to change it.

“Richard, you are out of line,” Kahlan said in a cold tone, getting up to put herself between the distraught Seeker and the two blondes on the ground, noticing, as she did so, that Alys rapidly snuggled up to Cara again.

“That’s exactly what happened,” Alys revealed, looking up at Richard from her secure place under Cara’s protective arm. “Mommy took a mate and then I was born,” she said, firmly.

The sudden tension in Kahlan’s stance was all the confirmation Cara needed to know that her magic had sensed the truth in Alys’s words. Richard’s magic worked differently than a Confessor’s, but he too knew, with unquestionable clarity, that Alys was telling the truth. His fists clenched as he struggled to keep all of his emotions from spiraling out of control. 

“Richard calm down, you’re scaring Alys,” Kahlan said in a stern whisper, noting the cloud that had fallen over the Seeker’s face. “And frankly you’re scaring me too,” she met Richard’s troubled eyes, looking into them to see how close he truly was to losing control of his anger. The rage she could see boiling behind those usually calm eyes scared her.

“I’m sorry,” Richard sighed, finally able to somehow contain the anger he felt inside him at hearing that Alys was not his daughter and that Kahlan would someday lay with another man. “I didn’t mean to scare you Alys,” he said softly, kneeling down to look at the wary girl tucked to Cara’s side.

Alys looked closely at Richard and at seeing true regret in the man’s eyes, she left Cara’s embrace and moved past Kahlan, who stepped aside, to the Seeker. “It’s okay,” Alys said sweetly, hugging the man to convey that she truly forgave him for his outburst.

Cara looked closely at the Seeker’s poorly illuminated face and saw a small tear slide down the young man’s cheek. Concerned, the blonde averted her eyes and looked up at Kahlan’s profile. The Confessor was noticeable struggling with something while she watched Richard hugging Alys. As Cara moved to get up, Kahlan turned her head to capture Cara’s eyes, the expression on her face pinning Cara in place. The Confessor looked at once strangely sad and completely resolute; a moment of silent understanding passed between them as Kahlan tilted her head toward Richard. It was time to be honest. Cara nodded her approval and climbed the rest of the way to her feet. Hesitantly, she moved to stand beside Kahlan, letting a supportive hand come to rest on the small of Kahlan’s back. A small smile graced Cara’s face as the Confessor took a deep calming breath and smiled gratefully back at her.

“Do you want to eat something, Alys?” Cara asked, bringing the girl’s attention to her. “You must be hungry,” she said, enticing Alys to come with her and leave Richard and Kahlan alone.

“Yes, I really am,” Alys said with a small chuckle of realization. The girl smiled at Richard and gave him a little peck on the cheek before climbing carefully to her feet. Seeing how the girl swayed a little with exhaustion, Cara sighed and scooped the child up, carrying her over to the stewpot before the little blond could object.

Kahlan stood still for a couple of seconds, caught in a small moment of admiration for the caring way Cara dealt with Alys and how the Mord’Sith was capable of giving the brunette such support just with a look and a touch. Kahlan shook her head slightly and focused her gaze on the sad man kneeling beside her. Richard was watching Alys walk away with a troubled look and heavy shoulders.

“Richard,” Kahlan called softly, watching as the Seeker turned his head to her and slowly stood to face her with a resigned and fearful look. “I need to talk to you, alone,” she said with a kind, but calmly determined look in her eyes as she tried to make the difficult conversation easier for Richard.

Richard fixed his anxious gaze on Kahlan and took a deep calming breath. By the resolute and worried look in Kahlan’s eyes, he could imagine that whatever the Confessor wanted to say to him would not be pleasant. The Seeker turned his head to meet Zedd’s eyes, his grandfather still standing quietly behind him, worry etched into his face. The wizard’s concerned look turned to one of encouragement as he pated Richard’s shoulder affectionately and supportively. He then looked at Kahlan with a sad smile, but gave her a slight nod before turning around to join the two blonde’s by the fire.

Richard sighed and turned back to the brunette. “After you,” he said quietly, motioning for Kahlan to lead them to somewhere more private. The look Kahlan directed at the fire area as they left was not lost on him; it almost looked like the Confessor was seeking support. When he turned to look where Kahlan had been looking at, he had seen Cara looking back at the brunette with an intense and gentle expression he had never seen before on the cold Mord’Sith’s face. Richard shook his head, not wanting to think about what that shared look between the two women could mean. He turned and followed Kahlan into the woods.

Cara watched as the two moved away, Richard’s curious look towards her did not escape the Mord’Sith’s notice. It was possible that the Seeker already suspected that something was going on between her and Kahlan, but was too afraid to see the truth for himself. She stared at the spot where the two figures had disappeared into the dark and felt an extremely powerful need to follow them and make sure Kahlan would be safe. Not that she thought that Richard would hurt her, but she was familiar with how fast the Seeker’s blood boiled and she had seen Richard’s temper rise before. Cara sighed restlessly and turned her attention back to the plate of stew she was preparing for Alys. There was nothing she could do now but trust Kahlan and let the brunette handle the situation; she was definitely better than Cara at this type of conversations – or any others for that matter. 

The blonde finished Alys’s plate and offered it to the patient girl sitting next to her. Cara nodded distractedly at the girl’s polite thanks, observing her to make sure Alys was capable of handling the spoon by herself and lifted her head when she felt eyes on her. She had only half noticed the wizard sitting in front of her, across the fire, but the scrutiny of his gaze was now making her slightly nervous. Apparently, it looked like there was someone else that had a suspicion about the reason Kahlan had for wanting to talk to Richard.

“Something wrong, wizard?” she asked dryly, trying to forestall the knowing and searching looks Zedd was giving her.

“Not wrong,” Zedd replied calmly. “Just unexpected,” he added after a brief meditative pause, looking at Cara with a small smile.

Cara averted her eyes and busied herself watching Alys eat her stew with gusto. She really didn’t want to talk to Zedd about the unexpected thing to which he was probably referring. Cara was aware that Zedd was a lot more perceptive than he let on, but she would prefer if he didn’t discuss his suspicions with her; the mere though of it was enough to make her uncomfortable. Thankfully the wizard was sensible enough to understand Cara’s reluctance and said nothing further, but the blonde noticed the worried glance he shot towards the trees where Richard and Kahlan probably were. 

The Mord’Sith’s eyes also darted to the trees involuntarily, wishing that Kahlan would appear between them. She hated to wait without having anything to do, but right now there was nothing else for her to do besides waiting. 

*****

“I guess Zedd was right,” Richard said sadly, once they stopped at a clearing away from the camp. “Knowing the future is not so good,” he said, in a heartfelt attempt at humor to deal with the dreadful situation in which he found himself. Seeing as Kahlan just kept looking at him with a broken expression, opening her mouth to speak but closing it shortly after and swallowing hard, Richard strongly suspected that he was about to hear something else he wouldn’t like. “Whatever it is Kahlan, just say it,” he encouraged the Confessor, feeling his chest constrict with the certainty of knowing something was about to go terribly wrong but not knowing exactly how.

“Richard, I don’t want to hurt you,” Kahlan said, tears pooling in her eyes and hands clasped together in worry. “I really don’t,” she repeated as her voice cracked with emotion, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall, taking a deep breath in order to control herself and carry on with what she had to tell Richard. She opened her eyes again when she felt Richard’s hands cover her own and looked up to see the Seeker’s watery eyes looking expectantly back at her.

“I know you don’t,” Richard confirmed softly, lifting one hand to cup Kahlan’s cheek tenderly. “Just tell me what’s bothering you,” he prompted the distraught Confessor in front of him.

“Richard you mean so much to me,” Kahlan started with a gentle and sad smile, moving her hand to caress the man‘s stub covered cheek comfortingly. “You were the first person who looked at me and saw a girl and not just a Confessor,” she continued, dreading the fact that she was about to break Richard’s heart. “You were my first real friend and you were my first love,” Kahlan said between sniffs, pausing to prepare herself to hurt this amazing man she held so dearly to her heart. “I love you Richard, but,” she trailed off, clutching Richard’s hand without really knowing if she was doing it to give him strength or to get strength in order to continue what she had already begun.

“But what, Kahlan?” Richard asked nervously. “What is it?” he said, anxiously searching Kahlan’s teary eyes for answers.

“I love you,” Kahlan repeated gently and calmly, blinking the tears from her eyes and sniffling before revealing the rest. “But I can’t love you the way you want me to anymore,” she revealed finally, preparing herself for Richard’s reaction.

“You can’t love me?” the Seeker repeated, confused and scared. “I know there’s a lot preventing us from being together,” he said, cupping both of Kahlan’s cheeks to gain the brunette’s full attention. “But we will find a way to overcome that, we always said we would. We can’t let fate guide our lives, Kahlan. Even if Alys’s words were written in stone, it would mean absolutely nothing,” he said desperately, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion when Kahlan’s sad expression didn’t change, convinced by his enthusiasm in the way that she used to be.

“It’s not that, Richard,” Kahlan whispered jadedly, grabbing Richard’s hands on her face and bringing them to rest clasped in her own between their bodies. “I can’t love you because I’m in love with someone else,” she said honestly, knowing that Richard deserved to know everything and hoping that he would understand. The look of concentration on the Seeker’s face told her that he was racking his brain for the person with whom Kahlan could possibly be in love.

“Someone else?” he said almost distractedly. “But who could possib-,” he trailed off as his eyes widened in understanding. Richard looked at Kahlan, asking silently for the brunette to confirm or deny his thoughts. When Kahlan gave him a questioning and expectant look he realized that he had to voice his suspicion to have it confirmed or denied.

“Cara…” he said in a broken whisper, not sure if he was asking or if deep inside of him he had already know this for a while. Watching Kahlan blink slowly and nod her head was all it took for his world to come crushing down. Richard brusquely let go of Kahlan’s hands and moved his hands to bury in his own hair in desperation, turning his back to the woman he loved more than anything.

“Richard,” Kahlan called concernedly, a new wave of tears sliding down her face. She tried to reach for Richard, but when her hand made contact with the distraught man’s shoulder he quickly shrugged her off and took a couple more steps away from her. Kahlan brought her hands to cover her mouth, preventing the heavy sobs from escaping, but being useless to stop the burning ache she felt in her chest at the sight of Richard hurting because of her. She couldn’t help but wish that Cara was here with her right now, holding her and making her fell better with her calm and strong presence. Despite her selfish wishes of comfort, her mind quickly reminded her that now was not the time for her to be comforted, now she had to comfort Richard in some way.

“Richard,” she called again after a few moments of silence. “Please, say something,” she begged, not able to withstand the torture of not being able to do something to make Richard feel better.

“What do you want me to say?” Richard shouted suddenly, turning to face Kahlan with his arms opened in frustration. “That I feel betrayed that you are thinking about someone else while I’m here convinced that we are in love with each other,” he said, his voice rising and his eyes red with tears.

“I’m sorry,” Kahlan said, trying to soothe him somehow. “I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did and I can’t choose who I fall in love with, Richard,” she stated firmly, albeit gently.

“Do you think she could ever love you back?” Richard questioned, his features contorting in anger and jealously. “She’s a Mord’Sith, Kahlan,” he stated, desperate to find some way to prevent Kahlan from leaving him. “She’s the one who says she doesn’t believe in, nor knows how to, love!” he shouted angrily, hoping to make a valid point, but knowing that Cara only said that to keep up her tough image. 

“That’s not Cara,” Kahlan denied, shaking her head rapidly. “That’s not the Cara we know and you were the one who showed me that,” Kahlan recalled. “You were the one who showed me that she is so much more than a Mord’Sith. That she’s capable of good despite the life she was forced to live,” the brunette continued with a confident and hard tone. She understood that Richard was probably saying all those hurtful things about Cara because he was hurt, but she wasn’t going to stand there and listen to it without defending the blonde.

“And look how well that went for me,” Richard said with a humorless laugh. “I helped her and this is how she thanks me, by betraying me,” he shouted, gesturing angrily with his arms. “What did she do to you?” he asked heatedly, looking directly at Kahlan. “After all, Mord’Sith are known to be masters at seduction,” he sneered spitefully. The taunting smile was ripped from his lips when Kahlan expression morphed into the stone cold one he often saw when she was truly angry.

“Don’t you dare insinuate that sort of thing about Cara,” Kahlan warned icily, her voice rising as she felt the control over her emotions slip. “And I’m not a helpless girl who can be easily seduced. She didn’t seduce me, she would never force me to do anything, and she would never betray you, or do anything to hurt you if she could help it,” she said ardently, her voice and body shaking in anger before Richard’s attitude. “But she can’t help it because she loves me too, Richard,” Kahlan confirmed, her voice softening with a sigh at the last.

“How do you know?” the Seeker shouted again, the sadness consuming him and channeling his sorrow in the former of angry explosions of bitter words. His heated reaction very similar to the way he, as the Seeker, used rage to protect himself from the emotional pain the sword made him feel for killing someone.

“Because she told me so,” Kahlan shouted too, tired of Richard’s doubts about Cara’s feelings for her. “And she tells me again and again every time she looks at me or touches me,” she finished more calmly, but not less fervently. “Cara is as much in love with me as I am in love with her and there’s nothing anyone can do about that,” she said decisively. “I’m sorry that this hurts you, I really am, but I won’t go against my feelings, Richard.”

“And you think she could make you happy?” he insisted, not wanting to believe that Kahlan would choose Cara over him.

“She already does,” Kahlan stated softly, an involuntary smile stretching her lips at the mere thought of how much the blonde woman made her happy.

“So, I assume that this has been going on for a while behind my back,” Richard said, shaking his head in disbelieve.

“We never meant to lie to you, Richard,” Kahlan said hurriedly. “We only discovered our feelings very recently and I was just waiting for a good time to tell you,” the brunette explained. “I was the one who kept delaying it because I wanted to tell you myself.”

“Well, now you did,” Richard said brokenly. “Now leave me alone, please,” he said, turning around and lacing his fingers on the back of his neck and taking a deep breath to calm himself.

“Richard,”

“Leave. Me. Alone,” Richard repeated, enunciating each word pointedly.

“I’m sorry, Richard,” Kahlan whispered once more before turning around and walking back towards the camp, leaving a broken man behind her and hoping that he would come around and everything would be okay between them. She treasured Richard’s friendship and she hoped that he could remember that bond between them after he calmed down. 

*****

“I know that it’s impossible to control your heart, but it’s a little easier to control your feet,” Zedd said kindly, with a mischievous tinkle in his eyes, watching as Cara stiffened at his remark. “Why don’t’ you stop pacing and come sit down,” he suggested to the very anxious Mord’Sith pacing back and forth at the edge of the camp.

“I’m not pacing,” Cara snapped, halting her steps and looking aggrievedly at Zedd. “I’m making sure no one is lurking beyond the perimeter of our camp,” she explained in a calmer voice, darting her eyes to Alys’s sleeping form on her own bedroll a few feet away from where she had paused, in order to avoid Zedd’s unnerving eyes.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” Zedd said with a smirk. “My mistake, my vision is not as good as it used to be,” he added mockingly, his smirk growing at Cara’s shifting feet and poor attempts at covering her nervous state. The Mord’Sith didn’t reply, instead she huffed indignantly and turned her attention back to the line of trees, resuming her pacing away from the bedroll where the young Confessor slept.

Zedd watched Cara intently, amused by the Mord’Sith’s stubborn denial of her anxious state despite her inability to keep herself from pacing nervously. The blonde’s sudden halt on her steps and the way she tensely glanced back towards the trees behind Alys’s bedroll, alerted the wizard to an approaching presence. A flash of white fabric reflecting the fire light caught his attention and he squinted his eyes to watch a figure emerge from the trees, where Richard and Kahlan had disappeared before. The wizard saw that it was Kahlan, walking slowly and wiping her hands over her cheeks. Zedd wasted no time in getting up to meet the Confessor halfway.

“Are you okay, my child?” Zedd asked concernedly, placing both hands on Kahlan’s shoulders and noticing the tears pooling on the brunette’s blue eyes.

His gentle tone and comforting gesture only made Kahlan’s tears fall with renewed force. She looked up into the tall wizard’s eyes and slowly shook her head as she brought her hands up to wipe her tears again.

“I’m sure everything is going to be fine,” Zedd said soothingly, bringing Kahlan’s body close to his in a comforting hug. He looked down, surprised, when the Confessor pulled out of his arms and looked at him worriedly.

“Zedd, I never meant to hurt him,” Kahlan said sadly, putting distance between her and the wizard, almost certain that Zedd would not offer his comfort if he knew why she was upset and half expecting that the old man would be mad at her for breaking his grandson’s heart. “I just fell in love with Cara,” she said simply, looking past Zedd at the slowly approaching blonde.

“I know,” Zedd confirmed with a kind smile, seeing Kahlan’s eyes turning quickly to him and widen in surprise. “You don’t have to explain anything to me and you certainly don’t have to explain why you love someone,” he said, squeezing Kahlan’s shoulders affectionately. “Now, go see if you can stop Cara from pacing before she opens a rift in the ground that reaches the Underworld; we don’t need any more of those,” he said with a smile, making Kahlan chuckle. “I’ll go see Richard,” Zedd informed her more solemnly and took off in search of his surely distraught grandson.

“What happened?” Cara asked after clearing her throat; her voice was calm, but her eyes searched Kahlan’s anxiously.

Kahlan just looked sadly at the blonde and approached her, leaning her body into Cara’s and resting her head on the nook of the blonde’s neck. The brunette surrounded the Mord’Sith’s waist with one arm and lifted the other to rest the palm of her hand over the blonde’s heart. As soon as her hand came in contact with Cara’s skin, the brunette felt the rapid beat of the blonde’s heart and smiled against the soft skin of Cara’s neck, letting out a small chuckle. Kahlan felt the blonde’s arms move to encircle her waist, immediately giving her the comfort she sought out without asking any questions. The closeness of Cara’s body calmed her considerably, as did the blonde’s patience and willingness to give Kahlan physical comfort; it was clearly something Cara was not that familiar with and it made Kahlan feel loved like never before.

“So, you were pacing,” the brunette said amusedly, lifting her head to look into Cara’s questioning eyes as she answered the Mord’Sith unasked question. “Zedd told me you were nervous and were pacing for a long time now.”

“I wasn’t-” Cara started with a scoff, before Kahlan cut her off.

“Your heart is hammering, Cara,” Kahlan interrupted, pressing her hand more firmly against the Mord’Sith chest. “You have no reason to be anxious,” she reassured, leaning her forehead against Cara’s in a tender gesture, smiling when she felt the blonde’s arms hug her closer. She knew how insecure Cara could be about her feelings; even if the blonde did her best to present a brave façade, Kahlan knew the Mord’Sith was anything but impassive when it came to her. 

“So how was it?” Cara finally asked, watching as Kahlan’s smile was replaced with a sad frown.

“He was so hurt and angry,” Kahlan said. She silenced the blonde with a look when she noticed that Cara was going to respond. “I know it couldn’t be avoided, but that doesn’t make it less painful.”

Cara nodded understandingly and ran a soothing hand up and down Kahlan’s tense back.

“I kept wishing you were there with me,” Kahlan said with a small smile, caressing the exposed skin on Cara’s chest.

“I don’t think Richard would have appreciated that,” the blonde replied with skeptical tilt of her head.

“But _I_ would have,” the brunette said in a small voice, her gaze fixed on the invisible patterns her fingers were drawing on Cara’s chest.

“I’m here now,” Cara offered sincerely, lifting Kahlan’s chin with her fingers and kissing the Confessor’s lips tenderly.

Kahlan let out a relieved sigh as Cara’s lips came in contact with her own. She moved her hand from Cara’s chest to the back of the blonde’ neck and brought the woman closer to her, deepening the sweet kiss. Kahlan shivered at the feel of Cara’s hand sliding up her back and tangle in her long hair, making the Confessor lose herself in Cara’s caress and forget the knot that the recent events had put on her stomach. The blonde’s silk lips glided effortlessly against her own in a dance that was becoming more familiar every day.

Kahlan let out a protesting whimper when she felt Cara end the kiss and watched as the Mord’Sith brought one hand to her own mouth and tugged off her glove with her teeth, tucking it into her belt. The blonde took a step away from Kahlan and offered her hand in invitation to the brunette, nodding in the fire’s direction.

“Come eat something,” Cara said softly, her hand still outstretched as she waited for Kahlan to take it.

“I’m not really hungry,” Kahlan denied, but took Cara’s hand without hesitation and laced their fingers together, marveling at the simple and fulfilling contact. “I’m just tired, I feel drained,” the Confessor said with a sigh, looking around the camp in search of something.

“She’s asleep in my bedroll,” Cara answered to Kahlan’s unasked question, glancing over at the sleeping Alys a few feet away from the fire, snuggly tucked in Cara’s bedroll.

Kahlan looked from Alys to the blonde walking beside her and gently bumped Cara’s shoulder with her own, smiling brightly when Cara looked at her and just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. The noncommittal posture confirmed Kahlan’s suspicions that it had been Cara who tended to Alys tonight. It also let the brunette know that the Mord’Sith didn’t want to delve in the careful manner in which she had obviously tended to the little girl, but Kahlan made a mental note to talk about that with the blonde Mord’Sith sometime soon; maybe tease her a little.

Kahlan was about to sink down onto the ground against a log when Cara’s hand restrained her and guided to sit on the opposite side of the fire instead.

Kahlan did as she was suggested but looked inquiringly at Cara. The blonde let Kahlan sat down and turned to the pot of stew. “I can’t see Alys from there,” she explained simply, tilting her head towards the place the brunette was going to sit first and her eyes focusing on the task of serving Kahlan a plate of food.

“Here,” the Mord’Sith said gently, offering the plate to Kahlan. “It’ll make you feel better,” she added, lifting one eyebrow in slight annoyance at Kahlan’s renewed refusal to eat.

Amused and convinced by Cara’s insistence, Kahlan relented and took the plate of food with one hand and tugged Cara down to sit next to her with the other. The Mord’Sith gladly sat down next to Kahlan, her back against a rock and her legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. The blonde smiled when Kahlan immediately lifted her arm and brought it around her own shoulders, snuggling against Cara’s side while eating her food with a humming sound of satisfaction. Cara smiled gently while she watched Kahlan eat halfheartedly, content in just giving Kahlan a soft place against which she could lean.

After a few bites Kahlan turned her head to gaze at the woman beside her. “I love how protective you are,” the brunette beamed at Cara, looking from her plate to the slumbering form of her daughter.

“It’s called being careful,” Cara replied with a raised eyebrow, tugging her other glove off with the help of her teeth.

“Okay then, I love how careful you are,” Kahlan said teasingly, cupping Cara’s cheek and bringing the smirking blonde’s lips to meet her own in a brief kiss. Then she put her still half full plate to the side and surrounded Cara’s waist with her arms, snuggling more closely against the blonde’s warm body.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything more?” Cara asked, eyeing the discarded plate of food next to Kahlan.

“I’m not that hungry, Cara,” Kahlan said, turning her head and burying it in Cara’s neck. “My stomach is in knots right now,” she added, exhaling a puff of air onto Cara’s exposed skin. The Confessor rested her head on the blonde’s shoulder and looked at the fire in front of them with a pensive expression.

“How did he react?” Cara asked softly after a few moments of patiently letting Kahlan take her time processing everything that was changing around her.

“He was angry, but, mostly, he was hurt,” Kahlan answered. “He,” she started, but trailed off hesitantly. Kahlan took a breath while she pondered if she should share Richard’s words about Cara with the blonde. A small part of her brain noted, with pleasure, how Cara didn’t rush her into telling her what had happened. This calm and patient side of the Mord’Sith would surprise a lot of people, Kahlan was certain of it. “He implied that you had done something to get me to fall for you; that you had seduced me in some way,” the Confessor revealed finally, giving a little disbelieving chuckle, not wanting to make a big deal about Richard’s hurt filled words.

Kahlan felt Cara take a deep breath next to her and felt the blonde’s muscles tighten under the red leather. The Confessor had clearly hit the limit of Cara’s ability to stay calm; the Mord’Sith was obviously not pleased with Richard’s assumptions.

“He is hurting, Cara,” Kahlan said gently, moving a soothing hand to the blonde’s chest. “Don’t take him seriously,” she requested, lifting her head to look into pensive green eyes that were fixed on the flames.

“He was serious enough to consider that I would be capable of doing something like that,” Cara said in a flat tone, her tense body the only clue to how Richard’s words had troubled her.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it,” Kahlan said, trying to prevent Cara from becoming too upset. “He was so heartbroken, I could see in his eyes that all that anger was fueled by sadness,” the Confessor clarified, nuzzling Cara’s jaw with her nose.

“I guess I can relate to that,” Cara stated with a sigh, turning her head to look deep into Kahlan’s blue eyes and placing her hand over the one Kahlan had on her chest. “But he’ll just have to deal with it,” the blonde said decisively. “You’re not anyone’s property; you’re the one who decides with whom you want to be, not him, not me, not anyone else,” she said, lifting her hand from Kahlan’s and gesturing with it in frustration.

“How did you get so wise?” Kahlan asked playfully, grabbing Cara’s flying hand and kissing the palm, before wrapping the blonde’s arm around her waist.

“If you think it takes a genius to understand that, there’s something wrong with you,” Cara stated, looking sideways at Kahlan and pulling the brunette fully into her arms, efficiently bringing Kahlan half on top of her body.

“I don’t think it takes a genius,” Kahlan said softly, using her fingers to turn the blonde’s head fully towards her. “Just a mature and selfless person,” she whispered against the Mord’Sith’s slightly parted lips. “Who I had the luck to find,” she said, pointedly kissing Cara’s lips.

“You’re right about that,” Cara agreed with a serious face. “You were really lucky,” the blonde finished teasingly.

“Weren’t you lucky too?” Kahlan asked expectantly, a tint of red coloring her cheeks in sudden shyness about asking that.

“I’m sitting in the hard ground, feeding you, and serving as a cushion,” Cara stated, looking at Kahlan with a barely-there smile. “Does that seem lucky to you?” she asked dryly, trying unsuccessfully to maintain a serious face.

The brunette smiled lovingly back at Cara, squinting her eyes playfully, and cupped the back of the blonde’s neck to bring their mouths together in an open mouth kiss, slow and passionate. Kahlan traced the blonde’s supple lips languidly with her tongue; caressing the hairs at the nape of Cara’s neck and feeling the Mord’Sith’s hands tighten around her body. The Confessor moaned softly when her tongue met Cara’s and instinctively lifted one leg to drape it over the blonde’s lap, moaning again in appreciation as Cara’s hand moved to squeeze her backside.

“Did _that_ seem lucky to you?” Kahlan cheekily asked after ending the kiss, watching Cara’s unfocused and aroused gaze struggling to concentrate.

“It seemed,” the blonde trailed off pensively. “Not enough,” Cara finished smirking and leaned in to capture Kahlan’s smiling lips again. The blonde took her time thoroughly exploring the Confessor’s compliant mouth before removing her lips from Kahlan’s to trace a path of kisses down the brunette’s throat. When she was about to make her way up Kahlan’s pale neck, she heard a crackling sound that interrupted the exciting sounds that were Kahlan’s soft sighs and moans. Cara lifted her head to look at the Confessor’s questioning eyes and motioned with her eyes to the line of trees behind them, giving Kahlan’s thigh a comforting squeeze as it slid from her lap.

Kahlan turned her head to see Zedd’s form appear behind a tree, followed by the slumped form of Richard. The contented smile left her lips to be replaced by a concerned frown. She looked back at Cara who was inspecting the men’s approach by the corner of her eye, never loosening the embrace in which she had Kahlan in. Kahlan let her hand move from Cara’s neck to glide over the Mord’Sith’s front and stop on the blonde’s stomach to rub it soothingly. When Cara focused her attention back on the brunette, Kahlan pursed her lips with a resigned sigh and watched as Cara looked understandingly back at her.

Kahlan disentangled herself from Cara’s toned body and looked anxiously at Zedd, watching with relief as the wizard gave her a warm smile and patted her shoulder affectionately as he passed her to go to his bedroll.

“I’ll turn in for the night,” he said to no one in particular. “Good night,” he said, taking a moment to look at Cara and give a warm smile too, chuckling to himself at the Mord’Sith’s surprised look.

Richard stopped a few feet away from both women, looking like he wanted something but didn’t have the strength to speak. When he finally lifted his gaze from the ground to look at Kahlan, the Confessor gasped at his puffed and red eyes, a clear sign that he had been crying.

“I want to apologize for the way I reacted earlier,” Richard said sincerely. “I was hurt,” he justified, shaking his head slowly. “I still am, but I know that I can’t stand in the way of your feelings or condemn you for not loving me anymore,” he continued, looking tenderly at Kahlan. “I want you to know that I’m not mad at you; as Zedd told me just now: we are not the owners of our own hearts, they run to whomever they want, we have no power to stop them,” he shared his grandparent’s words with a sad smile.

Kahlan let an emotional tear run down her cheek and covered the distance separating her from the Seeker to throw her arms around the broad shoulders to engulf Richard in a tight hug. The young man returned the hug fiercely, closing his eyes tightly as a stray tear fell down his cheek. Richard took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Kahlan’s hair and lifted his gaze to meet a pair of vigilant, but concerned green eyes.

He watched as Cara held his gaze with no trace of a defiant or cold attitude, the Mord’Sith had a rare empathic look on her face and the fact that the blonde didn’t shy away from meeting his eyes made him finally witness the reality of Cara’s feelings for Kahlan. It was clear to him that the Mord’Sith held no regret or guilt about falling in love with Kahlan. If the contrary was true, he was sure she would be asking for his forgiveness by now, for the forgiveness of her Lord Rahl; but Cara did none of that, she just stood tall, observing his interaction with Kahlan with nothing more than an understanding and carefully curious look on her face.

“I knew you would understand eventually,” Kahlan said with certainty, looking gratefully at her friend. She would always consider Richard one of her closest and dearest friends. “And we have something bigger than us to achieve, we can’t let our feelings jeopardize the quest we have to finish,” Kahlan reminded.

“Of course not, you’re still my Confessor after all,” Richard said with a small laugh. “You’re just not my Kahlan anymore,” he said with a slightly quavering voice, his smile fading and his eyes tearing up a bit.

“Richard,” Kahlan said, raising her hand to touch Richard’s cheek comfortingly.

“It’s okay,” the Seeker said, grabbing Kahlan’s hand before it could reach its intended destination. “I’m sure we’ll be okay eventually, I just need a little time to,” he trailed off with a sigh. “Get use to things,” he concluded vaguely, glancing briefly over Kahlan’s shoulder’s at the blonde Mord’Sith. “I’m always here for you Kahlan,” he affirmed with an authentic smile. “I love you and all I want is for you to be happy,” he said sincerely, squeezing Kahlan’s hand between his.

“I love you too, you will always have my friendship,” Kahlan confirmed, squeezing his hands back reassuringly. “I want you to be happy,” she said, smiling up at Richard. “And I’m sure you will, just not by my side,” she concluded, looking back over her shoulder at Cara and giving the blonde a loving smile. 

“I guess I had noticed something change between you two,” Richard said shrugging his shoulders, observing with surprise as Cara let her lips twitch in a small, but genuine smile when the blonde returned Kahlan’s loving look. “I just thought you were becoming closest friends, I never thought that,” he trailed off, taking a deep breath and looking down at his hands entwined with Kahlan’s.

“We never thought either,” Kahlan said, returning her attention to Richard. “But it happened and it’s something we both want, desperately,” she explained, wanting to gently make clear for Richard that this was permanent and Cara was the only one she wanted to be with. The Confessor watched with relief as Richard nodded his understanding and acceptance.

“I have to admit, though,” he said with a cheeky smile, clearly trying to end the gloom tone of the conversation. “You have good taste,” he said with a small chuckle to lighten the mood, watching as Kahlan smiled along with him. “And most importantly, I couldn’t think of anyone I would trust the most to be with you and make you happy,” he said with complete honesty, looking at Cara and nodding his head as if to confirm that he truly believed his words.

“She makes me the happiest woman walking this world,” Kahlan whispered dreamily, turning to look adoringly at the blonde still standing on the same spot, facing them but giving them some privacy at the same time. 

“I’m glad, then,” Richard said halfheartedly, but the sincerity of his words didn’t escape the Confessor, which made her smile with the confidence that this would not cause problems between them.

The Seeker squeezed Kahlan’s hands one more time and then let go to start walking towards the fire area, where an unexpressive Mord’Sith stood broodingly with her arms crossed over her chest. He looked into Cara’s slightly narrowed eyes and felt suddenly uncomfortable without knowing exactly what to say.

“My loyalty to you is unquestionable,” Cara said with a firm, somewhat reproachful tone, leaving no place for her words to be doubted.

“I know that,” Richard replied with a slight nod of his head, now more sure than ever that Cara had never meant to hurt him, she was just doing what Richard often told her to do – follow her heart. 

“As is my loyalty to her,” Cara said nodding at Kahlan, her voice lowering to an almost menacing tone.

Richard was a little taken aback by the Mord’Sith protective tone. Not that he wasn’t aware that the blonde was very protective and loyal, but he had never before witnessed this level of fierce protectiveness, which he could see radiating from green eyes. Despite his sadness about losing Kahlan, he couldn’t be angry at Cara, not when he could clearly perceive the seriousness behind the blonde’s words.

The Seeker also understood that the blonde was telling him, in her own peculiar way, that she never meant to hurt him, but she wasn’t giving up on what she and Kahlan had. Knowing that the Mord’Sith was not a woman of many words, he just extended his arm in a friendly gesture, hoping that Cara would take it and recognize the meaning of his peace offering. Without great surprise, he watched as Cara extended her own arm to clasp his forearm firmly, looking deeply into his eyes and nodding her head curtly in understanding.

“I can keep watch if you want to get some sleep,” Richard said to both women.

“I’ll stay awake,” Cara said firmly. “You go rest,” she suggested with a curt nod of her head, this being her own way of showing Richard that she cared about him and was trying to do something to make him feel better.

The Seeker gave her a small smile, seeming to easily comprehend Cara’s taciturn attempt of showing him that she cared. He gave Kahlan a gentle smile too, before leaving the two women alone with an almost whispered ‘good night’.

The two women watched Richard walk away to his bedroll, feeling a strange sense of calmness that came from having finally dealt with the shadow that had been Kahlan’s relationship with Richard at last shed from over their own blossoming relationship. The brunette turned to Cara and wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck with her arms, smiling happily at the Mord’Sith.

“You should go rest too,” Cara suggested, automatically moving her hands to Kahlan’s sides and kissing the brunette’s lips softly.

“I’ll just sleep in my favorite place then,” Kahlan whispered coyly, moving one hand to caress Cara’s chest meaningfully and looking at Cara seductively from behind her lashes. The Confessor bit her lip softly as she felt Cara take a sharp intake of breath when Kahlan let her hand trail over one of the blonde’s breasts.

“I don’t think we would have much rest if that happened,” Cara said, looking from Kahlan’s mischievous eyes to the brunette’s hand over her breast and up again to the blue orbs. “Maybe you should go to your bedroll,” the blonde said unenthusiastically, glancing at Richard’s restless form rolling on his bedroll. Kahlan followed the blonde’s line of sight and couldn’t help but smile proudly at Cara’s obvious attempt at making the situation less hurtful for Richard by not making the man witness their displays of affection when the hurt was still so fresh.

“You’re a sweetheart, you know?” Kahlan said as she looked back at Cara and smiled as the blonde rolled her eyes to show her displeasure about the brunette’s remark. “Don’t bother, you’re not fooling me,” the Confessor said with a chuckle, pleased when she saw a hint of a smile appear on the corner of the blonde’s lips. “But you’re right, we should give him time to get used to see us together,” she continued in a more serious tone.

“But that doesn’t mean I’ll restrain myself from now on,” Cara warned with a tilt of her head. “Just for tonight, it won’t kill me,” the blonde said rather unconvincingly, making Kahlan smile and shake her head amusedly.

“I’ll just lie down on your bedroll with Alys,” Kahlan said, kissing Cara sweetly on the lips. “You can use min-” she smiled as Cara kissed her back, which effectively prevented her from offering her bedroll to the amorous blonde. Cara seemed a lot more interested in devouring her mouth, tasting every inch of her lips and exploring fervently with her tongue. Kahlan shivered with want when the blonde’s hands moved to her lower back and firmly brought her hips closer to Cara’s thrusting ones. The Confessor followed the other woman’s lead and pressed her breasts against Cara’s full ones, making the blonde suck on Kahlan’s lower lip eagerly.

“This is becoming increasingly frustrating,” Cara whispered hotly, panting against the brunette’s parted lips and watching the Confessor nod distractedly in agreement before failing again to resist the temptation and leaning in to capture Kahlan’s wet lips once more in a needy kiss.

“I think I better go now,” Kahlan said shakily after ending the kiss, taking a deep, composing breath to try to contain her rising libido. The Confessor planted one more kiss on Cara’s lips and turned around to walk towards the bedroll currently occupied by Alys. After a few steps she turned her head and smiled at Cara while biting her lower lip softly, with a wink at the smirking blonde, Kahlan continued on her way.

The Mord’Sith shook her head to disperse the lust filled thoughts currently occupying her mind and went to sit by the fire, in the same spot she had been with Kahlan before. The blonde focused her gaze on Kahlan as the Confessor slipped under the covers and smiled softly when she noticed Alys wake up and throw herself at Kahlan when she noticed that it was her mother next to her, snuggling contently to the older Confessor. Cara surveyed the rest of the camp and, after making sure everything was calm, busied herself with throwing in more wood onto the slowly dying fire. She glanced again at Kahlan and indulged herself in the thought that maybe, for once, she was going to be the one to have what she wanted.


	13. Chapter 13

The sound of fighting could be heard echoing down the halls of the temple. Garren walked slowly and surely along one of the marble corridors, illuminated by various torches on the wall. The scream of agiels clacking against agiels and the grunts of pain coming from well placed blows made her grin in anticipation of what she was certain she would find. Garren rounded the corner into a wide room where a group of her sisters were gathered, watching two combatants in the center of their loose circle. The head Mord’Sith’s grin got wider when she saw exactly who she expected to see encircled by their red clad sisters. 

“Fierce little thing,” a Mord’Sith next to Garren commented, as she noticed the other step up beside her to watch the two women spar intensely in the middle of the room.

“She’s certainly one of ours,” Garren stated with a nod of appreciation as the shorter of the two fighters barely even winced as her opponent’s agiel burned into her shoulder, adding another injury to her bruised and battered form.

The two Mord’Sith currently at the center of attention were fighting relentlessly. The one holding Garren’s attention, a brunette, was clearly in a weaken state; Garren knew perfectly that the brunette’s split lip was the smallest of her injuries and the red leather was covering much more serious wounds that she, herself, inflicted on the brunette’s body. The brunette’s opponent attacks were merciless, the kind that only another Mord’Sith would have the endurance to withstand; a task that the brunette was more than accomplishing and she even found some strength to counterattack. Normally this would not cause so much awe among the Mord’Sith, but every woman in the temple was curious to see the new addition to their ranks in action. A lot of them were impressed at how the brunette kept struggling to stay in the fight, in spite of the beating she was taking after spending days hanging in the chains of a training room; it showed just how much willpower she had.

It was this trait, this strength of will, that caught Garren’s attention. The young woman was stubborn and clearly didn’t like to loose. Garren had seen it, from when the guards first hauled the girl into the temple, in the set of her jaw, the way her eyes had narrowed without fear as she glared back at her captors; Garren felt pride to see that trait in action in a much more useful fashion now, keeping the girl, the Mord’Sith, struggling back to her feet when a lesser creature would have succumbed long ago.

It had been worth the effort Garren had spent to re-break the girl. The guards had found her in the woods close to the temple days ago. Suspecting that she was spying on the temple, they had seized her and brought her to Garren. When she entered the temple, the brunette had tried to escape, so the guards had been forced to rend her unconscious.

By the time the stranger had woken up, hanging from the chains of one of the many training rooms, it had been obvious that she was no ordinary woman. They had stripped her of her black leathers, which seemed to be similar to their own uniforms, and had left her limp body only covered by two small strips of black leather. She had blood covering most of her face, dripping from her nose and her split eyebrow and lip that she gained from her clash with the guards. Exposed, the girl’s body was clearly a fighter’s body; toned and with a few scars showing that she had been in close contact with sharp blades before. Her long hair, black and wavy, had clued Garren in to the fact that the girl was either an ally or a mortal enemy. 

~~~~~~

_“Welcome back,” Garren said sarcastically, when she noticed the young woman was starting to regain consciousness. The brunette’s good eye opened and she seemed to be struggling to open her swollen eye as she uttered a groan of pain; although, that was most likely due to the bruises and the strain the chains put on her arms. Her first instinct was to fight against the chains stretching her arms towards the ceiling. “Don’t bother, you’ll only hurt yourself,” Garren advised with no concern for the girl’s well being as she laughed at the confusion she could see in her prisoner’s glare._

_“Release me,” the dangling young woman demanded, meeting Garren’s eyes defiantly._

_“Not until you tell me who you are and what you were doing outside my temple,” the head Mord’Sith replied calmly, her own blank expression giving nothing away as she studied the girl’s face for any clues. This close inspection was the only thing that allowed her to notice the brief look of surprise that passed through the girl’s eyes, quickly replaced by a blank expression that rivaled Garren’s own. Garren waited for a response, but the young woman just kept staring at her blankly; the silence started to unnerve Garren as it stretched on._

_“Why don’t you girls loosen our guest’s tongue,” Garren suggested, in a falsely syrupy tone, to her sisters present in the room. Without needing further encouragement, three leather clad women advanced to the silent brunette and struck her with their agiels._

_The young woman did not recoil from the touch of the agiels that pressed into her mercilessly. She kept her stare fixated on Garren’s and gritted her teeth against the overwhelming pain being inflicted on her body. Her lack of fear, even more than her pain tolerance, impressed Garren, but after a few attacks, a scream echoed in the room and the girl instinctively kicked her attackers in the hopes of getting them to stop._

_“Enough already,” the brunette hissed between her teeth, breathing hard and trying to regain her breath. “My name is Gwen. I’m a Mord’Sith,” she revealed proudly, meeting Garren’s eyes like an equal, like a challenge, daring Garren to doubt the conviction in her gaze. Of course Garren would expect no less from a Confessor, and a Sister should know better than to glare as if their positions where equal. Still, Gwen was young and therefore unwise enough to allow pride and ambition to lure her into folly._

_“If you are Mord’Sith where is your agiel?” Garren questioned suspiciously, approaching Gwen while unsheathing her own agiel. The brunette didn’t gave her an answer and Garren let her agiel slide across Gwen’s chest and lowered it to the brunette’s stomach, watching the red and black marks mar the skin. She watched as Gwen gritted her teeth in an effort to keep herself from screaming, but the way every muscle shook and the beads of sweat formed on her forehead, blending with the blood and mating her dark hair to her face, displayed the pain the woman was not fully able to suppress. Nonetheless, Garren had to admit that she did take it like a Mord’Sith; after a while it seemed that she was absorbing the pain, feeding from it and throwing it back at Garren in the form of vicious looks. “Again, who are you and what where you doing outside my temple?” Garren asked, pressing the agiel a little more firmly against Gwen’s side._

_“I’m from a temple in the south,” Gwen hissed through the pain. “My squad got attacked during a mission by a mob of villagers and I barely made it alive. They must have thought I was dead and left me in the field with the rest of my sister’s bodies,” she elaborated between raged breaths._

_“Why would you think that making it alive would be better then to die fighting your enemies?” Garren inquired skeptically, pressing her agiel more firmly against the brunette’s ribcage._

_“They rendered me unconscious,” Gwen groaned painfully. “I wasn’t exactly in a condition to fight back. When I woke up I only had dead bodies for company and my agiel was missing,” she justified, gasping when the pressure of the screaming weapon suddenly disappeared._

_Garren turned away and whispered something to a nearby Mord’Sith; the woman nodded her head once and left the training room. Garren glanced again at the dangling figure in the center of the room and crossed her arms, waiting. After a few minutes, when steps were heard outside the room, Garren grabbed the handle by the wall and lowered Gwen to the floor brusquely, making the brunette crash on the grid beneath her._

_Before Gwen could recover from the hard fall, a man covered in rich robes entered the room and without further ado threw a blast of fire at the slumped female. Instinctively, Gwen raised her hand and deflected the deadly wizard’s fire coming towards her._

_“Was that all?” the man – a wizard with dark hair and dressed in blue robes – spat in Garren’s direction, glancing disgustingly at the mess of blood and sweat he could see on her knees in the middle of the room._

_“Yes, wizard,” Garren replied, looking pensively at the woman kneeling on the floor. “You’ve been of great help,” she finally lifted her gaze towards the wizard. “You can go now,” she dismissed him with a vague movement of her hand and walked towards Gwen._

_“Clean yourself,” Garren ordered, watching the brunette lift her head to meet her eyes. Gwen nodded in understanding and her posture relaxed slightly, causing Garren to smirk coldly in response. “I’m not done with you yet,” she revealed._

~~~~~~

Garren had liked Gwen’s spirit and consequently she entertained the idea of keeping this young woman in the temple to serve Lord Rahl under her command; and she could use a challenge when it came to breaking, or in this case, re-breaking someone. Nonetheless, she had been a little surprised, when after the encounter with the wizard, Gwen had requested to stay in the temple and fight amongst her sisters there. It wasn’t uncommon for Mord’Sith to exchange temples so Garren had promptly agreed, although in her own terms. Not forgetting that the girl’s first instinct had been to fight them, Garren had decided that she had to make sure this brunette Mord’Sith’s alliance truly lay with her. And the best way to ensure the woman’s loyalty was by training her into true devotion. And since Gwen would need a weapon, given that she had claimed to not have her own when she had woken up after the attack on her quad, it was only fair that she would be re-broken by the same agiel she would yield, like every other Mord’Sith.

Garren had kept her suspending in chains, bending the young woman’s dexterous tongue to form words of obedience. Gwen had surprised her when she requested to stay in the temple even before Garren had fully re-broken her; but not one to leave a job unfinished, Garren had ignored the brunette’s request and kept with her plan. After countless agiel screams, Garren was sure she had re-broken the young woman; obliging her to follow her new Mistress and promise to serve her honorably in the future. Garren had been proud of her work; of the way she re-shaped this young woman into a warrior loyal to her. And, of course, to Lord Rahl.

After Garren had given the order to release the girl from the chains, where she had hung for two days straight, and given her free rein in the temple, she had been impressed by the confident attitude Gwen exuded and her mastery of the art of combat; which only proved that she was a very capable Mord’Sith, one of the best Garren had ever met at such a young age. Simply holding one’s own against Mistress Lyla was no small feat, especially in Gwen’s current condition.

Garren watched the fight between Gwen and Mistress Lyla for a few moments more and then gave the order for them to stop, beckoning Gwen to approach her.

“Not bad,” Garren complimented the battered Mord’Sith with a curt nod. “But this is practice; I want to know how you’ll carry yourself in the field,” she informed and smirked as Gwen immediately perked up at the mere mention of a possible assignment. “We have a Confessor to hunt and I want you to be part of the quad I’m going to take with me.”

“I would be honored, Mistress,” Gwen replied obediently, but unable to completely hide her excitement at the prospect.

“Go to the stables and let them know we will need four horses first thing in the morning,” Garren commanded. “But take a bath first. The scent of blood will only rile the horses up and it’s better to leave that for our mission.”

“As you wish, Mistress,” Gwen acquiesced and swaggered towards the door.

“I’ll meet you in the baths,” a red haired Mord’Sith shouted to the retreating young woman. “To help you wash your back,” she said insinuatingly, looking at Gwen’s rear with an appreciative eye. Gwen only looked over her shoulder and smirked at the obvious proposition, making Garren chuckle and shake her head in amusement.

*****

A rustling sound attracted Cara’s attention to the bedrolls. She squinted, peering into the darkness away from the fire and noticed a small form getting out of the bedroll Kahlan and Alys were sharing. The small frame got out of the cozy cocoon and tip toed her way away from the still slumbering Mother Confessor in an exaggeratedly slow fashion, making Cara snort in amusement. 

After looking over her shoulder to make sure Kahlan was still asleep, Alys hurried the rest of the way over to Cara. The little girl plopped down next to older woman, clasped her hands together in her lap, and turned to address the curious Mord’Sith.

“I’ve got to pee,” Alys whispered simply, looking expectantly at a confused Cara.

“You’ve got to pee?” Cara repeated, looking blankly at Alys, not understanding why the child felt the need to share that information with her. “So do it.”

“I’m not going to do it here,” Alys protested, crossing her arms in annoyance and looking around their camp site. “What if Zedd or Richard wake up?” she questioned worriedly, a tint of pink coloring her cheeks as she looked behind her to make sure the men were still asleep.

“They’re not going to wake up; it’s the middle of the night,” Cara quickly assured the embarrassed Confessor.

“I did,” Alys retorted logically, making Cara roll her eyes and bite her lip to hide a smirk.

“You can’t go alone into the woods,” the Mord’Sith chastised, turning her body to face the child.

“I know,” Alys said, tilting her head and arching her eyebrows as she looked at Cara disbelievingly. “That’s why I came to you,” she explained, mockingly dragging the words out, unaffected by Cara’s offended expression.

“Right,” the older blonde exhaled the word in an irritated sigh and got up. “Wait just a second,” she said and surprised herself by moving one hand to affectionately ruffle the little girl’s hair. But since no one was looking she decided it was okay to smile back at the happy grin Alys shot at her as she made her way over to Zedd’s blankets.

“Wake up, wizard; I need you to watch the camp for a little while,” Cara said in a low voice, kicking Zedd’s side to wake him up.

“You have no manners,” Zedd grumbled, not bothering to sit up as he scowled up at the unperturbed Mord’Sith. “Is it my turn to keep watch?” he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“No; Alys just needs to go,” Cara said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for Zedd to become more alert.

“Go where?” the still half asleep wizard asked. Watching as Cara just raised an eyebrow, the fog finally disappeared from Zedd’s mind and he understood. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep one eye on the camp,” he assured, sitting up on his bedroll and yawning widely.

“Keep _both_ eyes on the camp,” Cara stressed, not moving from her spot and glancing unintentionally at the peaceful form of Kahlan. Zedd smiled at the Mord’Sith’s protective nature and nodded his head, looking more awake, which left Cara feeling more at ease.

Cara nodded in acknowledgment and walked back to Alys. As Alys stood, the older blonde rested her hand on the little girl’s shoulder, guiding her gently out of the camp to where she didn’t have to be worried about possible embarrassment.

*****

Gwen walked through the open door of the stable, throwing a quick but expert eye around, rapidly cataloging her surroundings. Almost immediately, she spotted a tall and serious Mord’Sith checking the hooves of a huge horse in the middle of the stable.

“You’re the new one, right?” the burly Mord’Sith, Mistress Ceril, addressed her with a snarl that did nothing to intimidate Gwen. The brunette just nodded her head affirmatively and approached the other woman slowly.

“Mistress Garren sent me here to tell you that we will need four of your fastest horses to take with us tomorrow at first light,” Gwen informed the other woman nonchalantly, her eyes rooming around the stable in apparent disinterest, showing no sign she had noticed the less hidden examination to which she was being subjected.

“Hold his harness for a moment,” Ceril grumbled, motioning Gwen to secure the horse and turned to walk towards a small table next to the wall.

“I’m not a stable boy for you to order around,” Gwen said warningly, her lips twitching in satisfaction when she noticed Ceril stop in her tracks and her shoulders tense.

“Excuse me?” Ceril turned around to look incredulously at her new Sister.

“You heard me,” Gwen stated, slowly positioning herself beside the horse so the animal was at her back and Ceril in front of her. “Just so we are clear, I’m doing you a favor because I want to,” she motioned to the harness in her hand. “I’m not taking any orders from _you_ , you take them from _me_ ,” Gwen sneered.

“What makes you think _I_ would take orders from _you_?” Ceril shot back, aware that this girl had wormed herself in the rankings of the temple, managing to be one of Mistress Garren’s favorites in such short time, but her own pride compelled her to talk back to Gwen.

“Simple,” Gwen shrugged, noticing with pleasure as the animal shifted anxiously on his hooves. “I’m clearly better and a more capable Mord’Sith than you could ever dream to be,” she mocked viciously. “You’re the one who’s limited to taking care of the animals after all,” Gwen pointed out maliciously and internally patted herself on the back when she noticed the angry fire erupt in Mistress Ceril’s eyes.

“I’ll gladly show you how capable I am,” Ceril growled furiously, unsheathing her agiel to attack the arrogant Gwen.

Allowing Mistress Ceril to get close to her, Gwen patiently waited for the angry woman to make a move. When the predictive stab of Ceril’s agiel was directed at her midsection, Gwen skillfully avoided the blow and instead the stab landed on the horse’s side; making the already nervous animal bolt towards the open door. To avoid being dragged by the fleeing animal, Gwen let go of the harness and watched as the he ran out of the stable.

“You just proved that you’re even worst than I though,” Gwen commented, looking Ceril up and down with disdain. “You can’t even take care of the horses,” she shook her head disapprovingly.

“That was your faul-“ Ceril’s protest was cut of by a blow to her jaw that made her head whip to the side. She turned her head back, but her eyes never quite met Gwen’s.

“I’ll go get the horse,” Gwen said after a few silent seconds, putting away her agiel in order to show Ceril that she didn’t felt threatened by her. “No need to report this incident to Mistress Garren and bother her with your incompetence; just make sure you have four of your toughest horses ready, because I’m pretty sure Mistress Garren won’t be as benevolent with you as I’m being,” Gwen warned menacingly and turned to walk out to follow the horse’s trail, not sparing a single glance back; which worked in her favor since that way Mistress Ceril couldn’t see the wicked smirk on her lips.

*****

Cara leaned against a tree; her relaxed stance a contrast with the way her eyes constantly scanned for danger as she waited for Alys. After a few moments the little girl emerged from behind some bushes. The Mord’Sith arched her eyebrows inquisitively and received a nod from the child, confirming that she was ready to get back to camp.

The blondes were slowly and carefully making their way back to camp, over the very uneven ground and through the darkness that made it impossible for them to rely completely on their vision. After a couple of steps Cara heard a small sigh. The Mord’Sith glanced down at Alys and noticed that the child was walking with her shoulders slightly slumped and her head lowered, blonde hair covering her face. Cara narrowed her eyes, but otherwise did nothing. After only a couple more steps the older blonde heard another sigh, this one a little louder and forced, making Cara look suspiciously at Alys, but the Mord’Sith still didn’t say a word. A couple more steps and Cara saw Alys begin to take another deep breath.

“What’s wrong Alys?” Cara asked softly, giving in to the child’s obvious request for attention.

“Nothing,” Alys replied tearfully, a watery sadness clearly audible in her voice.

Noticing the tears in the child’s voice, Cara was taken aback. She was not used to this type of situation with children. The uncomfortable Mord’Sith looked quickly around as if expecting Kahlan to come from behind a tree and take care of the upset girl. But since the brunette was most likely asleep, the task of consoling the upset child would fall in Cara’s awkward hands for now.

“If it’s nothing, why are you crying?” Cara asked tentatively, watching as Alys crossed her arms protectively over her chest and shrugged her shoulders in response. The Mord’Sith took a deep breath and put her hand on the little blonde’s shoulder, stopping their progress back to camp. Cara stepped in front of Alys, dropping to kneel on one knee to bring her eyes level with the child’s, and placing both her gloved hands on the Confessor’s crossed arms. “Alys, tell me what’s wrong,” Cara prompted tenderly, holding the child’s teary gaze.

“I miss home,” Alys whispered, taking in a shaky breath and awkwardly brushing her tears away with the back of her bandaged hand.

“We’re going to get you back home,” Cara reassured, keeping her hands awkwardly, but comfortingly, on the girl’s arms. She was way out of her comfort zone here; her previous interaction with children didn’t involve any form of comfort.

“I know you will,” Alys sniffed and glanced pensively at the shapes of the trees above her, a gesture that strongly reminded Cara of Kahlan. “But I miss Aydindril,” the child added, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. 

“Listen,” Cara started cautiously, with a voice that she considered to be kinder than she had ever sounded. “Your mother is here with you; how lucky were you to find her here?” Cara pointed out, hoping that the mention of Kahlan’s presence would calm Alys. It seemed to work since the girl smiled slightly.

“I know, but it’s not exactly the same,” Alys whispered, her smile fading as she looked sadly to her hands, picking at the restricting bandages with frustration. “I mean, I know who you all are, but you’re a little different,” she explained vaguely, but somehow knowing Cara would get what she meant. “I guess I miss that,” she shrugged her shoulders and lifted her head to look longingly at a patient, but not quite right, Cara. “I miss you,” Alys confessed with a hiccupped sob and threw her arms around the Mord’Sith’s neck in a tight, desperate hug.

Even thought Alys’ sudden movement caught Cara by surprise, the older blonde’s only reaction was to hug the shaking form of the little Confessor to herself. Cara didn’t say anything, she just held the distressed girl close to her body in a silent attempt to comfort the child the best way she could. Alys’s confession of missing a future Cara unexpectedly left a sinking feeling in the Mord’Sith’s stomach; she hated to admit it, but the sound of the girl’s sobs were breaking her heart and she let her head rest against Alys’s to provide that little bit of extra comfort.

After Alys had calmed down a little, Cara expected the girl to move out of the embrace, but the blonde kept her head tucked on the crock of the Mord’Sith’s neck and sniffed from time to time. Without giving it much thought, Cara stood, lifting Alys in her arms, being carful to shift the girl to her right hip in order to prevent any contact with her agiels. With Alys safely and comfortably in her arms, Cara carefully carried the blonde child back to their camp.

*****

“Good boy,” Gwen praised the horse while she looped the reins around a branch and tied a loose knot. “Let me just get what I came for and we’ll be on our way back,” she whispered, flicking her eyes over the surrounding foliage as she searched for something. The young woman moved forward a few steps, wandering in a loose circle, her eyes glued to the ground. Her eyes lit and a grin spread in her face when she found what she was looking for.

She bent down, wincing at the leather rubbing painfully against some hidden cuts, and retrieved the items. Looking around wearily and satisfied that no one seemed to be watching her actions; Gwen got up and went back to the waiting horse.

“How I love a good hunt,” she whispered with a smirk, while she regarded the two items in her hand. Gwen mounted the horse and steered him back towards the stable with a sudden giddiness that made her clutch the new found items tightly her hand.

*****

Zedd jump to his feet in alarm when he saw Cara walk into camp with what looked like an unconscious Alys in her arms. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Cara assured him that Alys was okay. The Mord’Sith walked effortlessly towards the fire area and sat down on a log, shifting Alys so she was curled on Cara’s lap. The child snuggled to Cara’s chest, not once loosening her grip on the blonde’s neck or lifting her head from Cara’s shoulder.

Zedd stood gaping at the scene in front of him. He regarded the tender way in which the normally cold Mord’Sith tended to Alys and how both blondes seemed to only use touch to convey comfort and return gratitude. Shaking himself, Zedd went to sit next to the pair and peered at the slightly puffy blue eyes, recognizing that Alys had most likely been crying. The Confessor spared him a small smile and moved one hand to play distractedly with a lock of blonde hair similar to her own. The wizard glanced at Cara expecting the grumpy Mord’Sith to scold the child, but Cara kept her eyes in the fire and didn’t even acknowledge Alys’s gesture.

“Are you okay, little one?” Zedd asked softly, noticing how Alys was progressively having more difficulty with keeping her eyes open. Alys just mumbled what sounded like a ‘yes’ and buried her head deeply into Cara’s neck.

“Could you take a look at her hands?” Cara asked Zedd, feeling Alys constantly picking at the bandages behind her neck.

Zedd silently nodded and the Mord’Sith maneuvered Alys so the girl was resting against her front, with Cara’s arms surrounding her securely. The wizard unfolded the crumpled bandages and noticed with surprise that the wounds were rapidly healing, as Alys had told them they would. Zedd applied some more of his healing magic to relieve the child from a possible lingering pain and redid the bandages leaving Alys’s fingers completely free, covering only the girl’s palms.

“Better?” Zedd winked, nodding at Alys’s grateful smile and returning to his seated position on the log next to Cara.

“Are you warmer? Ready to get some more sleep now?” Cara whispered in the child’s ear. Alys answer came in the form of a sleepy mumble. Cara stood up, never glancing at Zedd, and carried the slumbering child towards the bedroll occupied by Kahlan.

When Cara tried to prey Alys’s arms from around her neck the girl grunted in protest, but the promise that Cara was laying her next to Kahlan was enough to stop Alys from fussing. The Mord’Sith was careful to place Alys next to Kahlan without waking the older Confessor and watched with a smile as the little blonde curled up to Kahlan and the brunette seemed to automatically move one protective arm over the child’s small body. Cara stood for a moment just observing the two sleeping figures, wondering what had exactly happened.

The protectiveness she felt towards Alys was not a normal feeling for her. Sure, she had a sense of protectiveness, she had been trained to protect after all. She felt protective towards her friends and especially towards Kahlan, but she didn’t have a big connection with Alys. She had only met the child a few days ago. Maybe, Cara reasoned, it was because she was a child; more specifically Kahlan’s child and she wanted to protect her because she knew that was what Kahlan wanted.

Cara frowned. She was sure all of that was true, but the way Alys’s _‘I miss you’_ tugged at her heart had nothing to do with any of those reasons. The child’s statement, singling Cara out, and the emotion filling the little girl’s blue eyes was enough to convince her that Alys cared more for her than she had initially thought. Being confronted with the love the child clearly felt for her left Cara feeling lost and confused; she knew nothing about the kind of relationship Alys had with her future self, but it had become evident that it was a strong one. Could her future self be okay with having a close relationship with a child that belonged to Kahlan and someone else? How exactly did she fit in all this? Were her and Kahlan even together in the future? Not wanting to start hypothesizing about the future, the Mord’Sith shook her head and walked back to the fire pit.

Once again, the wizard found himself just as companionless as he had been before Cara sat down, the Mord’Sith lost deep in her own thoughts. Clearly something had happened between the blondes and he was certain that it had been something good. It had left both of them drained, for Cara was showing signs of fatigue as well, but maybe Alys had managed to creep a little further into Cara’s heart.

“Are you okay, my dear?” Zedd inquired softly, expecting Cara to snap at him just for inquiring about the reason for her pensive mood.

“I’m fine,” the blonde said simply, in a raspy voice, making the surprised wizard quiet concerned about the calm response. “You can go back to sleep now,” the blonde mentioned, busying herself with stoking the fire.

“I’m already up,” Zedd shrugged. “Why don’t you go ahead and have a few hours of sleep before the morning comes?” he suggested kindly, assuming that while the Mord’Sith would probably not share what was bothering her with him, at least he could help her get a little more, clearly much needed, rest.

Cara stared at the old man for a moment and recognized his attempt at making her feel better. Another day she would argue with him just for the sake of it, but, right now, she felt worn out and wanted nothing more than to have a few moments to rest. Cara nodded her thanks to Zedd, at which he responded with a kind smile and a friendly wave of his hand.

*****

From behind the wide windows of her chambers, Kahlan surveyed the various torches dimly illuminating the city below her. The people of Aydindril, her people, were hurrying to prepare for the war that was most likely coming. In the clean glass, the Mother Confessor could see her own reflection superimposed over the city; an image, she thought bitterly, that was metaphorically appropriate. Now, more than ever, her sacrifices, her gamble with the line of confessors, not to mention a large portion of her heart, haunted her. The eyes looking back at her were holding back the tears that were always threatening to escape; especially here, in private, where she was alone and protected from the numerous eyes that judged her and demanded that she found a way to defeat the enemies that lurked everywhere.

Kahlan looked down at her firmly clasped hands through the tears already escaping her eyes; clenched tightly together in a vain attempt to restrain the emotions running around inside her at a high speed. She took this time to be alone just so that she could cry. A simple thing for most people, but a luxury she couldn’t afford in public. That would only be mistaken for weakness, she was certain; her enemies would rejoice at seeing her in such a vulnerable state and the faith of her people in her would be shaken if they were to witness their ruler breakdown. Yet, keeping her collected exterior was so hard; it took everything she had and was leaving her exhausted. The grief was nearly overwhelming and she succumbed to the sobs shaking her body.

For a moment she indulged herself and closed her eyes, letting her mind block the world around her and taking shelter from the pain in her memories. She could hear laughter and running steps down the halls, she could smell the sweet and clean scent of rosemary soap while she watched her own hands braiding long locks of hair. Kahlan smiled through her tears, recalling the way her bed dipped as a warm body tried to sneak into her bed, trying to be quite about it and failing miserably. She could taste a soft pair of lips that always made her feel loved and she could feel a pair of strong arms encircling her waist tenderly in a protective embrace.

The overwhelming feeling of longing for all the parts of her heart that were missing, made Kahlan open her eyes with a sob. In her reflection in the window, the few wrinkles that had started to appear around her eyes, were now more pronounced by her exhausted state and seemed to underline to burden of her pain. She wondered if she was even fooling anyone at all. 

From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of red leather that made her heart skip a beat and her breath catch in her throat. But the voice coming from the woman that had entered her chambers was not the one she wanted to hear.

“Mother Confessor,” Raina bowed her head in respect, but not before noticing the way the Confessor automatically started to turn to greet her but stopped, clearly disappointed. “Everyone is gathered as you requested. I’m here to escort you,” Raina announced, watching as the Mother Confessor took a few seconds to collect herself. Shoulders again square, Kahlan turned, giving Raina an almost undetected look of gratitude; one the Mord’Sith was only able to spot thanks to the amount of time she spent with the ruler of the Midlands. They left the Mother Confessor’s chambers together, Raina a half step behind, as was proper.

Now more than ever, Kahlan needed to be strong and lead her people. Even if she was scared and desperate inside, she had to pull herself together and show that she was capable of ruling wisely. The leadership of Aydindril belonged to her by right and she wouldn’t let anything or anyone stop her from defending the people she swore to protect. Her heart may be shattered at the moment, but it was still there and it still had strength to fight for what she believed in. 

Kahlan held her head high and walked confidently; the Mother Confessor’s white dress caught the air and flowed around her as she walked through the twists of the seemingly never ending corridors of her castle in Aydindril’s heart. Her hands were now clasped loosely in front of her and her face was molded in a mask of stoicism. Her dignified posture and air of confidence was enough to strike respect in the hearts of her subjects; respect that she earned everyday of the past eighteen years she had ruled in Aydindril.

*****

The sun had just risen and had not yet had time to warm the chill night had left in the air. This dawn found four black horses carefully saddled waiting patiently as their mistresses made sure the saddle bags with their provisions were firmly tightened. After checking that everything was ready to go, three women with stone cold expressions turned to another wearing an anticipatory smirk.

“We’re leaving now,” Garren announced as the last sister nodded that she was ready. “Let’s hunt a little Confessor,” she added with a menacing chuckle. 

“Yes, Mistress Garren,” the other three Mord’Sith replied simultaneously, their eyes flashing with the anticipation of a fight.

“Make me proud,” Garren said to the dark haired Mord’Sith standing in the middle. “I want to see the fierceness you showed in the temple with your sisters applied on the battle field.”

“I will, Mistress,” Gwen answered with a subservient bow of her head.

“Let’s ride,” Garren ordered as she mounted. The other three warriors quickly followed, swinging effortlessly into their saddles.

The quad of Mord’Sith took off at high speed, leaving the temple behind and starting their target’s pursuit.

*****

Kahlan woke up and was momentarily confused by the feeling of a small warm body snuggled tight against her own. She looked down to see only the top of Alys’s head peaking out of the blanket, certainly the girl’s method to keep herself warm during the night. Kahlan’s eyes were attracted to another mass of similar blonde hair, whose owner was still asleep on her side, facing Kahlan. The Confessor was about to extend her arm to brush a few stray hairs out of Cara’s face when a sound alerted her for the presence of someone behind her.

“Good morning,” she said with a kind smile after rolling on her back to face Richard, who was kneeling next to her rummaging through his pack.

“Morning,” the Seeker greeted simply. He returned Kahlan’s smile, although his was less enthusiastic.

“Is it morning already?” a very sleepy and slightly annoyed voice whined from beneath the blanket, making both Kahlan and Richard chuckle.

“I’m afraid so, Alys,” Richard replied to the displeased lump.

“Hi,” the little girl greeted Richard with a sleepy smile, finally lifting her head. She squinted as she fought with the morning light to look at the Seeker. “Are you happier today?” the girl asked with concern, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Yes,” Richard answered after a slight pause as he hesitated, deciding, at last, to neither alarm nor burden the child with unnecessary things.

“You’re-” Alys started, but stopped herself before saying anything else. “Okay,” she said instead, offering a sweet smile to the Seeker.

“Is something wrong, sweetie?” Kahlan asked gently, elevating herself on her elbows. She easily noticed the girl’s sudden change in speech and looked up at Richard to see that he was frowning in curiosity too.

“No,” the child denied, turning to look up at Kahlan. “It’s just that you taught me that we shouldn’t always tell people that we know they are lying because sometimes they want to keep some things to themselves,” she obediently repeated the words Kahlan had once told her.

“Your mother has taught you well,” Richard said with an approving smile. “Not that anything else was to be expected,” he complimented, receiving a grateful smile from the older Confessor. He met Kahlan’s gaze for a moment, but quickly averted his eyes to look at his approaching grandfather.

“Good morning, my dears,” Zedd greeted in a soft voice to not awake the still slumbering Mord’Sith. “She must be really exhausted,” he said, pointing to Cara with an apple he had in his hand. “I’m glad I managed to convince her to get some sleep last night,” the wizard said, taking a healthy bite out of the apple.

“Let her get some more sleep; it’s still early,” Richard shrugged, retrieving a bar of soap and a cloth from his pack. “We’ll go freshen up now that you’re awake,” he told Kahlan and walked away from the camp after a nod of acknowledgment from the brunette.

The Confessor smiled at Zedd as the wizard bent down to ruffle Alys’s hair, making the girl giggle, before turning and following his grandson to the nearby stream. Kahlan looked after the retreating men for a moment before glancing away to see that Alys, who was still tucked under the warm blanket, was now wearing a much more alert and mischievous expression on her face.

“And what are you up to, young lady?” Kahlan asked playfully, turning on her side to face both blondes again.

“Shss,” Alys shushed her, placing one finger on her own lips and another on Kahlan’s lips. “You have to be very quite or else you’ll ruin it, mommy,” the little girl admonished with an excited smile and stretched one arm towards the nearest plant poking out from the edge of the bedroll. She then proceeded to pluck out a long leafed grass stem and grinned at Kahlan before rolling onto her stomach and eyeing Cara with an expression of utmost concentration. 

Kahlan raised herself in one elbow to have a better look at the certain hilarious scene that was about to unfold. She watched with an amused smile as her daughter very carefully pushed the stem towards Cara’s face and held her breath when the harmless green weapon made the first contact with Cara’s nose. The brunette used her hand to cover her mouth and hold in a laugh that was threatening to escape as she watched Cara’s nose twitch slightly. Alys hurriedly pulled the leaf away and muffled her bubbly giggles with her hand, in practically a mirror image of her mother.

“I bet she thinks it’s a bug and she’s going to slap her face to get rid of it,” the girl excitedly told Kahlan as she turned her head to look at her mother, gleeful in her intent to fooling the sleeping Cara.

“Do you think you can trick her into that?” Kahlan asked the girl, grinning as Alys nodded rapidly in utter confidence of her skills. Before the child turned around to poke Cara again, Kahlan looked over to see the Mord’Sith smirking up at her with one eye open, which she promptly shut once Alys turned back towards her.

Kahlan raised her eyebrows in anticipation and let the girl try once again to achieve her goal of tricking Cara. When the leaf was an inch away from touching Cara’s skin, the Mord’Sith sat up in a flash. Alys shrieked in surprise as she was swept from beneath the blanket and swiftly dragged into Cara’s lap. 

Kahlan watched in delight as the older blonde tickled the girl mercilessly while the girl laughed uncontrollably, kicking and trashing to try to escape her attacker. 

“That’s what you get for trying to trick me,” Cara said with a rare laugh, grinning down at the squirming child in her lap as the girl twisted to try and avoid Cara’s fingers.

“Mommy,” Alys called breathlessly. “Mommy, help me,” the girl pleaded between laughs.

“If your mother tries to help you she’s going to get the same treatment,” Cara mock-threatened, looking defiantly at Kahlan.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Kahlan said with playful determination, sitting up and meeting Cara’s eyes challengingly. “I have to save my baby girl,” she declared with abandon, indulging in this very rare carefree moment.

Taking advantage of the closeness of Cara’s feet, Kahlan ran the tips of her fingers up the sole of Cara’s foot. The Confessor watched in satisfaction as the Mord’Sith quickly retracted her legs and stopped her ticklish torture of the little girl. Kahlan had learned a while back that Cara’s feet were a sensitive spot when the Confessor had accidentally brushed her foot against Cara’s while sharing a bed. The blonde was not very ticklish, but for some reason she reflexively recoiled when something came in contact with her feet.

Taking advantage of Cara’s distraction, Alys rapidly scurried out of the Mord’Sith’s lap and jumped across into Kahlan’s open arms. 

“That was low, Mother Confessor,” the older blonde accused, narrowing her eyes dangerously at Kahlan.

“All is fair in love and war, Mistress Cara,” the brunette shot back immediately, holding Alys in front of her as a shield. 

“I’ll get you for that, you can be sure of it,” Cara menacingly promised Kahlan, grinning wickedly. “And you learned your lesson, didn’t you?” she said, looking at the still giggling girl on Kahlan’s lap.

“Maybe,” Alys said noncommittally, laughing when Cara tilted her head and looked at her with eyebrows raised in surprise. But before the Mord’Sith could fire her own comeback, the young Confessor quickly stood up and skipped towards the fire area where Zedd had left a few apples on a rock.

Kahlan shook her head with a smile as she watched the girl escape from any possible retaliation Cara had to offer. The Confessor then turned her head to gaze at the Mord’Sith beside her, noticing the unusual relaxed features of the blonde’s face. This carefree side of Cara surfaced rarely and the brunette felt her own spirits lift just from witnessing it. Kahlan’s smile widened when the blonde turned her head to look at her. 

“Hi,” Kahlan shyly whispered, tilting her head to look lovingly at Cara.

“Hi back,” the Mord’Sith replied with a smile, gazing back at the beautiful brunette, her eyes intense. Cara cupped Kahlan’s cheek and gently pulled the Confessor towards her to press her lips to Kahlan’s for a few delicious seconds before pulling apart. She noticed by the corner of her eye Alys glancing at them and then turn her attention back to the fruit on her hands, seemingly unperturbed.

“That is a side of you I don’t get to see often,” Kahlan mentioned while scooting across the very small space between them to sit next to Cara.

“That’s because we’re not away from prying eyes often,” Cara pointed out logically.

“I’ll make sure to change that then,” the brunette promised, lifting a hand to comb her fingers through Cara’s blonde locks. “I want to hear you laugh more often,” she added softly, placing a sweet kiss on the corner of Cara’s mouth and feeling the blonde’s lips widen into a bigger smile. Before Kahlan could pull completely away, a strong arm wrapped around her waist to pull her close to the blonde. A second after, the brunette felt Cara’s luscious lips kissing her own passionately. 

When Kahlan heard a moan escape the blonde’s lips she pushed Cara away by the shoulders and glanced at the child a few feet away from them. Biting her lips, she shook her head, wordlessly telling Cara that they shouldn’t get carried away when Alys was so close. The Mord’Sith followed Kahlan’s line of sight and sighed petulantly. 

“She’s really comfortable around you,” Kahlan said pensively while looking at the child. “It makes me wonder,” she said vaguely, watching as the girl happily munched on her apple and played with some small rocks.

“Makes you wonder what?” Cara asked curiously, looking back at Kahlan.

“Did it ever cross your mind that maybe we are raising her together, in the future?” The brunette turned her head to look at Cara with a wishful note in her tone. But Kahlan’s dreamy look lasted only until she saw a frightened expression form itself on Cara’s face.

“Didn’t you tell me not to speculate about the future?” Cara said apprehensively, her eyes shifting uncomfortably around the camp without meeting Kahlan’s. The Confessor’s sudden question and, especially, the implications of that question startled the Mord’Sith. Not that Cara didn’t envision a future with Kahlan or that she hated children, but the only family of which the blonde had a clear memory were her Mord’Sith sisters. She doubted that they were the best example. With only vague memories about her parents and sister, Cara had no idea how families worked; how could she make a good parent? The only chance she might have had to discover it was taken away from her at his birth. The blonde was so lost in her self-loathing thoughts that she almost missed what Kahlan was saying to her. 

“I know I told you that,” the Confessor confirmed, her voice trembling slightly as her heart sunk at seeing Cara’s disturbed expression. “I was just wondering,” Kahlan sighed, reading Cara’s distressed look as a clear distaste for, merely, the hypothetical idea of the both of them raising a child together. “Forget I mentioned it,” she shrugged her shoulders dejectedly, her lips turning downwards into a slight frown as she stood up go towards Alys. She only took a couple of steps when she felt Cara’s hand closing around her wrist to stop her.

“Maybe you’re right,” Cara whispered reassuringly in Kahlan’s ear as she slid one arm around the Confessor’s stomach to bring Kahlan’s back comfortingly against the blonde’s front. “She saw us kiss and didn’t even react,” Cara revealed, planting a lingering kiss under Kahlan’s earlobe. “And she does come up with some snarky remarks that I don’t think she learned from you,” she added, hoping that Kahlan would understand that the idea of raising a child together was not horrifying to Cara, it just was a little to soon to be having a conversation like this.

“It’s no good to be speculating about the future, you’re right,” Kahlan agreed as she turned around in Cara’s arms to face the blonde. “I let my imagination get carried away I guess, it’s just,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s just that… I love you,” Kahlan said simply. Her honesty was rewarded by a pair of gloved hands cupping her face and soft lips capturing her own in an emotion filled kiss. The Confessor let her hand fall to Cara’s side and returned the kiss with as much devotion as she could muster. 

“I plan to stay with you for a very long time, Kahlan,” Cara said intensely when she broke their kiss, her eyes boring into blue ones as she conveyed with them all the love she felt for Kahlan. “You’ll look good when you’re older and since I like pretty girls I guess I’ll stick with you,” the Mord’Sith teased, effectively dispersing the heaviness of the conversation.

“How chivalrous of you,” Kahlan said sarcastically, scoffing as she pinching the blonde’s abdomen in mock punishment. A thought occurred to her. “And how would you know how I’ll look when I get older?” the Confessor asked, tilting her head curiously.

“Because I saw you,” Cara stated matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes at Kahlan’s confused look. “When Richard and I went to that awful future, we saw a statue of you on your grave.”

“You were lost, with no hope, in a future where everyone was confessed and there were no Mord’Sith alive, and you were checking out a dead woman?” Kahlan asked disbelievingly, her eyebrows rising in astonishment.

“When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound so good,” Cara said, tilting her head in consideration of Kahlan’s words. “But still, you were alluring; I was just curious,” the blonde revealed and then rolled her eyes again as Kahlan’s raised eyebrows wordlessly asked her to elaborate. “You had this air of dignity and royalty about you. I thought it was the statue that was made to look like that, but then I met you,” Cara finished somewhat sheepishly, teeth worrying her bottom lip although her eyes never left Kahlan’s.

Kahlan grinned widely when she heard Cara’s confession. It grew, widening further when she noticed that the blonde was blushing slightly. If she was interpreting Cara’s words and body language correctly, and this time she was sure she was, the Mord’Sith had clearly been attracted to her from the first moment they laid eyes on each other; before that, even.

“You can deny it all you want, but sometimes you’re just cute beyond words,” Kahlan whispered sweetly and kissed the blonde’s red cheek tenderly. To her pleasant surprise the blonde woman just sighed in defeat and shook her head at her. “Let’s join the little wolf before all the apples disappear,” Kahlan added with a chuckle, as she noticed Alys picked up another apple and bit into it enthusiastically. Cara nodded, happy with a change of subject, and both women went to have breakfast with the young Confessor.


	14. Chapter 14

“At the pace we’re going we’ll probably reach the Midlands in two days,” a blonde Mord’Sith informed her leader after coming down from the small hill where she went to survey the land still ahead of them. 

“Good, we’ll make camp here for the night and tomorrow we’ll continue,” Garren nodded while scrutinizing her surroundings. “We have to catch up to them as soon as possible,” she dismounted her horse, followed quickly by her Sisters. 

“Who are _they_ , exactly?” Gwen asked curiously, approaching Garren from behind with the reigns of her own horse firmly held in her closed fist.

“It appears that one of the brat’s travelling companions is none other than the Mother Confessor,” Garren informed Gwen over her shoulder, but frowned, doing a double take, when she saw the brunette’s eyes go wide. “Afraid of the Mother Confessor, are you?” Garren taunted, taking pleasure at seeing Gwen swallow uncomfortably.

“I’m not afraid,” Gwen said a little too quickly. ”I just wasn’t expecting her to be with the child,” her fist trembled slightly due to the force with which she was griping the reigns.

“Granted it’ll make things a little harder,” Garren admitted, turning to fully face Gwen. “But it’ll also make them more interesting,” she smirked. “You’re not thinking about running away, are you?” the leader of the squad goaded, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Gwen’s unsteady hand.

Gwen snorted. “No more than you are,” her lips twitched with a secret smile before it twisted further upwards into a malicious smirk. “I’m pretty sure I can deal with the Mother Confessor.”

“You don’t lack confidence,” Garren chuckled. “But don’t let your arrogance and pride cloud your vision,” she warned wisely, turning to rummage through the saddle bag of her horse.

“I guess that’s a tendency Mord’Sith have, right?”

Garren stopped her search through the saddle bag and turned back around to look closely at Gwen. Her eyes narrowed at the young Mord’Sith, but when Gwen smirked almost proudly Garren figured that the young woman, although very capable, still had a lot to learn about not underestimating the enemy.

“The stupid ones, yes,” Garren reprimanded. “Now go help your Sisters set up camp,” Garren ordered, watching Gwen nod her head curtly and lead her horse over to the other animals.

“This just keeps getting better and better,” Gwen whispered to herself, a wicked grin on her lips.

*****

Richard dropped his flint and steel into the tinder of what was going to be their campfire, his hand automatically gripping the hilt of his sword as his head whipped around after hearing a shriek. Alys gave another shriek of delight and flung herself at Kahlan, hands outstretched to show the Confessor her completely healed palms. Zedd laughed as Alys nearly bowled Kahlan over by leaping into her arms when the Confessor kneeled down to examine her daughter’s hands. The wizard tossed the used bottom layer of the bandages into Richard’s fire pile and rolled up the rest. Smiling at the obviously not threatening girl’s antics, Richard let go of his sword and began restacking the twigs. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Cara, standing quietly behind Kahlan, watching Kahlan kiss Alys palms with relief. The Mord’Sith looked completely focused on the domestic scene yet Richard could tell a part of her mind was somewhere else, perhaps asking herself the same questions he had about her future, her role in the life of Kahlan’s daughter.

The Seeker smirked as the Mord’Sith was jolted out of her reverie when Alys slipped out of Kahlan’s arms and held up her palms for Cara to inspect. To Richard’s surprise, the stoic Mord’Sith gently took hold of the child’s hands to examine them and said something to Alys that made the blonde Confessor beam up at her. Alys hugged Cara around the waist, saying something that made the Mord’Sith chuckle and bend down slightly to place a quick peck on the top of the girl’s head.

Richard frowned in surprise at this unexpected interaction between the blondes and pursed his lips worriedly. His thoughts kept going in a direction he didn’t want them to, but his Seeker nature compelled him to puzzle pieces together. He stared at the still flint in his hand, thinking about what he knew about Alys and the way the little girl interacted with them; especially Cara. Abstractly he heard Kahlan calling Alys to go with her take a bath, while Cara mumbled something about going hunting.

“You seem lost in thought, my boy?” Zedd said as he took a seat on a rock next to his grandson and started to assemble the utensils he would need to prepare dinner. “Anything I can help you with?” he asked helpfully.

“Actually, I think you can,” Richard nodded. “Don’t you find Alys’ ability to heal so quickly strange?” he asked carefully.

“Not to mention her ability to deflect magic,” Zedd readily completed his grandson’s train of thought. “Hmmm,” he agreed noncommittally, patiently observing his grandson fumbling fruitlessly with the flint while his forehead creased in deep thought, clearly the reflections of his inner struggle.

“Could it be possible that-” Richard trailed off. The theory forming in his mind was one that made his already wounded heart constrict even more with pain, but his Seeker nature kept pushing him to try and figure out something to explain Alys’ unusual powers. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Could it be possible that she has Mord’Sith magic in her?” he glanced at Zedd almost afraid to hear the answer.

“In all my years of life, I have come to find that the things one thinks are impossible turn out to be very possible,” Zedd mused, his eyes glazed over in deep thought. He continued to speak slowly, choosing his words with care. “I have never heard of it, but I wouldn’t be as presumptuous as to claim that it is impossible,” he paused, lacing his fingers together, and raised eyebrow at Richard. “But that’s not exactly the question that’s plaguing you, is it my boy?” he asked kindly, only to have Richard confirm his suspicion a moment later as the boy pursed his lips and looked away.

“Is it possible?” Richard exhaled and looked back at his grandfather. “Even with magic, is it possible for two women to have a child? It can’t be, can it?”

“For a spell to allow two women to conceive a child, it would need to be cast by someone with an incredible powerful Han; not to mention the spell itself would have to be very complex. I have never heard of such a spell,” Zedd noticed Richard opening his mouth to probably come up with another theory and quickly interrupted him. “Which doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” he added gently, causing Richard to nod in understanding.

“I was hoping you could clarify that,” Richard said in a small voice, his shoulders slumping as he stared sightlessly into the campfire pit. He blinked as his grandfather’s long fingered hand, warm and reassuring, settled onto his shoulder drawing him back into the world. Reaching up with his own hand, he patted Zedd’s thankfully. “I’ll go see if I can find that root you claim makes your stew a food worth of the Creator herself,” Richard smiled faintly and got up to head into the forest.

“Don’t mock my food, boy,” Zedd scolded after him. “Go get that root and you’ll see if doesn’t make all the difference,” he watched his grandson kick a small rock halfheartedly and worried about the disheartened stoop of the boy’s shoulders. With a sigh, Zedd turned back around to light the mess Richard had made of the fire with a wave of his hand. 

*****

“Zedd, did you find anything new?” Kahlan asked hurriedly as she entered the library of the Wizard’s Keep, startling Zedd who was hard at work looking through a sea of books.

“I’m afraid not, my dear,” the old wizard sighed sadly while shaking his head. He was one of the oldest wizards alive and probably the wisest too; if anyone could find the answers they needed, it would be Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, Wizard of the First Order. “How are the troops coming along?” he questioned, dividing his attention between the texts and the rightfully worried Confessor.

“They are receiving orders as we speak,” Kahlan answered, pacing anxiously back and forth in front of Zedd’s desk. “This war is so uncalled for,” she huffed in frustration.

“All wars are uncalled for,” Zedd said with a humorless chuckle, looking away from his books at last and focusing solely on Kahlan. “The ignorant and those that thirst for power are often significant catalysts for a war to start,” he mused. “And you have the perfect combination of that with the Blood of the Fold and that manipulative and delusional wizard, Farkas.”

Kahlan nodded in agreement.

“Mother Confessor!” Berdine exclaimed in surprise as she rounded a corner into the reading area; her arms stacked with books. “Is there anything you need?” she asked attentively.

“I need my family back,” Kahlan exhaled brokenly, trusting that her present company would not judge her for this distraught outburst.

“We’re searching these books meticulously, Mother Confessor,” Berdine immediately reassured, as Kahlan expected her to. “If there’s even the slightest clue about what will allow us to resolve the problem in any of these texts, you can be sure we’ll find it,” she promised with fervor, suiting her actions to her words by placing the books she was carrying on the desk and immediately picking one to read over.

“I know,” Kahlan smiled gratefully at the loyal Mord’Sith. Her eyes slid over to the wall in thought and the lines of her face grew harsh. “Farkas will be judged by Midlands’ law for what he’s trying to do to my people and especially for what he has done to my family,” the brunette vowed angrily to no one in particular.

“For that to happen, we have to find him first,” Zedd once again lifted his eyes from the books and regarded the upset Confessor. “I already tried tracking his energy through time, but it led me nowhere. The Triangle of Anuyr is the only artifact that allows time travel and since Farkas has it, and he’s not in our time, we have no way to find him. Nor may we travel in time ourselves to look for him,” the wizard explained. “If he _does_ return to our time, however, we’ll know; with the help of the other wizards, I cast a spell that encloses all of the Midlands, so if Farkas returns here I’ll be immediately warned,” Zedd reassured Kahlan, who nodded in understanding.

“I never thought I would see the Midlands facing an internal war,” Kahlan shook her head in disbelief. “The beliefs of the Blood of the Fold managed to affect more people than I thought. Now that we are at peace with D’Hara, we fight amongst ourselves; can’t people live in peace?” she wondered aloud, walking towards the big desk and leaning tiredly on it with her hands.

“Some can, my dear. But others feed of war, greed, and hatred. And, unfortunately, such people exist in the Midlands too,” Zedd reached out and patted her hand. “I trust you’ll have the strength to fight them, Kahlan. And you do have help from D’Hara.”

“The problem is that by the time the D’Haran army gets here we might already have been defeated,” Kahlan said somberly. Her eyes met Zedd’s in a silent acknowledgement of the possibility.

“Mother Confessor, Lord Rahl is arriving at the gates,” Raina announced as she entered the library. There was a new glimmer in her eyes, usually so playful and recently so bleak. They grew even brighter as she watched the Confessor allow herself a small, relieved smile. “He arrived with only an escort of soldiers and Mord’Sith in order to get here faster for the initial negotiations, but I have information that the D’Haran army is only three days away from getting here.” 

“Have faith,” Zedd smiled kindly at Kahlan. “Maybe Richard’s threatening presence will be enough to persuade them to refrain from attacking.”

Kahlan sighed bitterly. “We are dealing with fools; they’ll stop at nothing to get what they want,” she nodded her goodbye to Zedd and Berdine and walked out of the library. As Kahlan paused at the door and took a deep, calming breath, Raina winked at Berdine, falling in step behind the Mother Confessor.

*****

“And then she must have carried me and tucked me back in the bedroll with you,” Alys finished retelling what had happed in the middle of the night to Kahlan, who was listening avidly, while the brunette washed the girl’s blonde hair in the stream close to camp. They had been on the road all day and the opportunity to wash away the dust was very welcome.

The brunette had been mesmerized by the morning’s playful interaction between her daughter and Cara. She was surprised, not so much because of Alys, since the girl never showed any type of fear or reluctance when it came to addressing, or even touching, Cara. But she was surprised by Cara’s carefree behavior with the child. The Mord’Sith was not someone prone to those kinds of exchanges and Kahlan had to know what was leading Cara to become more affectionate with Alys.

Kahlan had asked the Mord’Sith about her new found closeness with the girl and Cara had just shrugged dismissively and mumbled something about ‘the kid not being so bad to deal with’. This simple answer was enough for Kahlan, especially since the Mord’Sith was not famous for sharing much in the way of details, but it was still frustratingly vague. Yet, when she mentioned the same thing to Alys, she got a whole story as an answer. Her daughter excitedly launched into the, apparently epic, retelling of how Cara had ‘made her stop hurting’.

“Why didn’t you wake me sweetie?” Kahlan tilted her head curiously, wishing that she could have done something to console the girl the night before. Although, from what Alys had told her, Cara had done a perfect job.

“Because you were asleep,” Alys deadpanned, making Kahlan roll her eyes good naturedly at the child’s logic.

“Okay smart pants.” The brunette got out of the stream and lifted her daughter out of the water, reaching for the cloth to dry the small blonde. “You’re all clean now; let’s get back to camp and see what Cara caught for dinner,” Kahlan handed Alys the child’s dress and grabbed her own clothes to put back on. The older Confessor took Alys’s hand and guided the child back to camp, smiling deviously at the prospect of teasing Cara with her new found information about what had happened the night before. 

*****

“Where’s Richard?” Kahlan asked as she looked around the camp. Noticing that Zedd was sorting through some spices, Alys let go of her mother’s hand and rushed towards the wizard to carefully watch what he was doing.

“He went to look for ginger roots to add to the stew,” Zedd glanced over his shoulder to address the Confessor. “It makes all the difference,” he turned back towards the pot and winked at Alys, making the girl giggle.

“It makes it edible, then?” Cara quipped from behind Kahlan, coming out of the woods with two skinned rabbits in her hand.

“When you learn how to cook you can criticize my food,” Zedd chastised over his shoulder.

Cara approached the wizard and extended the rabbits to him. When he was about to grab them, the Mord’Sith held them above his head, preventing the annoyed wizard from getting the animals.

“When you learn how to hunt you can criticize me,” Cara cocked one eyebrow and smirked tauntingly down at Zedd. Satisfied that the wizard only glared at her without any reply, Cara lowered the rabbits to Zedd’s waiting hands. Alys snickered at the exchange and claimed her place next to Zedd as his self-proclaimed assistant.

Kahlan stood, smiling, with her hands on her hips, and shook her head at Cara. The Mord’Sith looked back at her with a smirk and put down her bow and arrows. The blonde made her way towards an amused Kahlan and took the cloth and soap from the brunette’s hands.

“I’ll take that with me,” Cara winked and tilted her head suggestively in the direction of the stream. Before walking away, the blonde stole a quick kiss from Kahlan’s lips, making the Confessor blush slightly, but grin widely nonetheless. She was watching Cara walk away with a distracting swagger in her step when Zedd’s voice intruded on her leering.

“Kahlan, could you help me with these rabbits?” the wizard asked as he used a knife to dismember the dead animals.

Hearing Zedd’s request had Cara stop dead in her tracks and turn around with a frustrated scowl, clearly ready to tell Zedd exactly what he could do with the rabbits. Before she could speak, however, Kahlan gestured for her to be quite even before she could open her mouth.

“Of course Zedd,” Kahlan replied, trying not to laugh at Cara’s deep intake of breath and sudden rapid blinking. “Go,” she mouthed at the annoyed Mord’Sith, chuckling when Cara huffed and stomped off.

*****

“Richard,” Kahlan greeted with affection when she entered the wide room where Richard was having his dinner while he waited for her. The formal greetings had been shared in the throne room earlier when Richard – Lord Rahl - had first arrived in Aydindril, but now they could talk more freely.

“How are you Kahlan?” Richard asked with concern, opening his arms to engulf Kahlan in a friendly and comforting hug.

Kahlan sunk in his welcoming arms without hesitation. It was great to have the ruler of a land like D’Hara come, personally, to aid Aydindril in a fight, but right now she was more thankful to have one of her most cherished friends with her when she was feeling most lost. The feel of his comforting arms around her transported Kahlan to a time when she would have been afraid of this kind of physical contact, but Richard had showed her many years ago that it was okay for her to touch people without the fear of destroying them with her enslaving touch. Kahlan pulled away from the hug and looked into warm brown eyes; the same ones that had reassured her time and again in the past were now reassuring her yet again in this time of need. She cupped his stub covered cheek in a friendly gesture, noticing that his once boyish expression now gave way to a more reserved one; an expression of a respected leader that she admired. 

“I’m worried, sad, and angry,” Kahlan responded, pulling completely away from the hug. “But even though my heart is taxed with my emotions, my head is fighting to stay clear and find a solution for all of this,” even if the situation was killing her, she had no intention of giving up, but would fight both carefully and wisely.

“Farkas wants my throne,” Kahlan continued. “He and his followers claim that the time for Confessors has come to an end,” she paused. “They hide behind the excuse that they don’t want a ‘freak’ ruling in Aydindril,” Kahlan elaborated, gritting her teeth in rage.

“They can’t state something like that; she _is_ a Confessor,” Richard reasoned, his fist clenching at his side even as his tone remained comforting.

“A Confessor with some extra skills that never belonged to Confessors before,” Kahlan pointed out with a tired sigh. She had already discussed this with Richard through the journey book he insisted she kept in Aydindril to be in contact with him. Kahlan recognized Richard’s attempt to try to resolve this conflict without having to resort to a war; unfortunately her enemies refused to see the truth, instead they twisted that same truth for their own selfish benefits. 

“Why not attack you directly?” Richard inquired about the lack of attempts against Kahlan’s life.

“Though their followers are devout, and truly believe in what they preach, they are still a minority, albeit not by much. I’m too powerful and too well protected here in Aydindril for them to confront directly, even hiding behind their army, they do not have a great chance of success; the best way for them to take my throne,” she said. “Is to make sure I never get here in the first place.”

“So Farkas travelled back in time to make sure you didn’t get to Aydindril and claimed you rightful place as ruler?” Richard summarized.

“At least that’s the most logical theory we could come up with, based on the information we have gotten so far,” Kahlan nodded.

“But then why take-”

“To mess with me Richard,” Kahlan responded before Richard had the time to finish. “Because if there’s anything that can throw me off my game and distract me, it is having my family endangered or,” she stopped herself from finishing, feeling tears immediately cloud her vision and grief choke her breath.

“We are meeting with the council together tomorrow. With their approval I’ll require an audience with a representative of the Blood of the Fold,” Richard recalled their plans, placing a reassuring hand on Kahlan’s slumped shoulder. “Let me try to reason with them,” at this Kahlan shot him a dubious look. “And if that doesn’t work,” Richard continued. “Maybe the approaching D’Haran army will do the trick,” he winked and just like that Kahlan could see the ever optimistic boy she met so many years ago.

“Thank you for your help,” Kahlan said smiling. “Now let’s go see your grandfather; I bet he’s grumbling about you taking too long to go meet him in the Keep and Berdine’s patience only goes so far,” she joked lightly. 

*****

Kahlan walked silently down the path leading to the stream. She bit her knuckle to avoid laughing out loud as she remembered Cara’s irritated face from just moments before. She, too, had been annoyed by Zedd’s interruption of their flirting, but the opportunity to mess with Cara was too good to pass up. She had had no intention of not going after the blonde; she was just having her wait a little longer.

Noticing the red leathers discarded on the grass, Kahlan caught sight of blond hair midstream. Cara was submerged to her upper back, busy languidly running the soap along her arms, and didn’t even bother turning to look at Kahlan until the brunette cleared her throat to get her attention. The Mord’Sith slowly turned around, the water lapping just over her breasts as she looked questioningly back at Kahlan.

“Are you mad at me?” Kahlan called sweetly, worrying her lower lip enticingly.

“No, just surprised to see you,” Cara drawled, wading towards Kahlan until the water was only at her waist and they no longer had to raise their voices to be heard. “I thought you preferred to cook instead of… bathe,” she said in a low and beguiling voice as she pointedly looked down her naked body.

“I never said I preferred to cook,” Kahlan followed Cara’s line of sight, swallowing with difficulty and taking a couple of steps closer to the blonde until water touched the tip of her boots.

“In that case,” Cara smirked before disappearing completely under the water. Ripples of her passage beneath the surface moved almost to the shallows, where Kahlan stood, before she effortlessly rose out of the water. Kahlan’s wide eyed expression only served to fuel the blonde’s confidence as she almost stalked out to Kahlan, drinking in the lust behind the brunette’s flustered look. 

Kahlan’s breath started to become heavier as she watched a dripping wet and completely naked Cara walk towards her with intent, absently dropping the soap on the sandy bank as she closed the distance between them. The devious smirk on Cara’s lips made Kahlan smile; the blonde sure knew how to demand attention. Kahlan shamelessly let her eyes wander the blonde’s toned body. The brunette licked her lips unconsciously as she stared transfixed at Cara’s full breasts; the water on them sparkled in the sun, making Cara’s tanned skin glow. Kahlan lowered her gaze to the Mord’Sith abdomen, watching as toned muscles flexed with each small step Cara took. It was when Kahlan’s eyes dropped lower that the Confessor let out a needing whimper; the vision of a completely naked Cara was definitely something that made Kahlan’s mind shut down.

Cara seductively walked towards an immobilized Kahlan and surrounded the Confessor with her arms, pulling her wet body flush with Kahlan’s clothed one. Kahlan blushed, but didn’t back down; the brunette circled Cara’s neck with one arm and playfully slapped the blonde’s upper arm.

“You’re incorrigible,” she admonished, not quite capable of holding Cara’s intense gaze for fear her legs would completely give out beneath her.

“I recall someone telling me that everything’s fair in love and war,” Cara cocked an eyebrow with a smug smirk. Kahlan closed her eyes as she recognized her own words and moaned when Cara caught her lips in a hungry kiss. She shivered as the blonde’s hands slid over her back and hugged her closer.

“You’re making me all wet Cara,” she jokingly complained against the Mord’Sith’s lips as a drop fell from Cara’s wet tresses and traveled down her cleavage.

“I hope so,” Cara whispered suggestively, raising a teasing eyebrow the moment she saw the recognition on Kahlan’s satisfyingly shocked face. Without giving the Confessor a chance to recover from her words, the blonde closed the small gap between them and teasingly bit on Kahlan’s lower lip, eliciting a gasp from the Confessor. 

Kahlan trembled at the soothing slow lick Cara applied on her bitten lip and used her hand on the back of Cara’s neck to pull the blonde’s mouth to fully meet her own. Their lips slid slowly and passionately against one another, tongues darting out to taste and tease. Kahlan tangled her fingers in blonde hair at the nape of Cara’s neck and moved her other hand to squeeze Cara’s bicep. The brunette felt Cara’s tongue’s movement’s change from teasing to insistent, silently asking Kahlan for permission to deepen the kiss. The Confessor allowed Cara access and moaned again at the skillful way in which the blonde explored her mouth; she instinctively thrust her hips wantonly into Cara’s, making the Mord’Sith smile into the kiss. 

“I think you’re in need of a bath,” Cara said sultrily and trailed hot kisses down Kahlan’s neck.

“I already took one,” Kahlan responded distractedly, whimpering at Cara’s passionate kisses and pressing her hips against Cara’s once again.

“It seems to me you have something dirty to take care of,” Cara teased, lifting her head to look deeply into Kahlan’s unfocused eyes and pulled Kahlan’s hips closer to hers to get her point across.

“Maybe you should help me,” Kahlan invited with a crooked smile, succumbing to her own need to feel the blonde’s skin against her own. Kahlan took one of Cara’s hands and brought it from her lower back to the tied laces across her breasts, encouraging the other woman to unlace them.

Cara grinned eagerly and noticed Kahlan’s amused smile at her reaction. The blonde unlaced a few laces and Kahlan had to bite her lip to suppress a loud moan when Cara lowered her head and placed a hot mouthed kiss on the inner side of one of Kahlan’s mounds before continuing to loosen the dress. With a helpful shrug of Kahlan’s shoulders the white dress was discarded to the ground, leaving the Confessor in her black corset, undergarments and knee high boots. Cara took a moment to run her eyes up and down Kahlan’s body appreciatively.

“As much as I like you in that, I want you out of it,” Cara complimented and tugged at the black laces until she freed Kahlan from the corset. The Confessor quickly took off her boots too and grabbed Cara’s face with both hands to attack the Mord’Sith’s lips with fervor. Kahlan lowered her hands to Cara’s collar bone and after a beat lowered one of them to cup Cara’s breast, pinching the hard nipple teasingly between her thumb and forefinger. 

Cara groaned in response and gripped Kahlan’s hips fervently. Without breaking the kiss, Cara flattened her hands on Kahlan’s hips, running them up and down in a sensuous caress, making Kahlan arch her back and press her chest firmly against Cara’s own. Kahlan ended the kiss and licked a wet path across Cara’s jaw, moving the hand from Cara’s breast to cup the blonde’s cheek tenderly. Her other hand moved from Cara’s collar bone to kneed the blonde’s neglected breast as the Confessor caught Cara’s earlobe between her teeth and started to nibble on the soft flesh. Doing nothing to stifle her own breathy moans, she let them arouse Cara even more. Lost in the passionate touches, Kahlan pushed herself more firmly against the toned body in front of her, forcing the blonde take a few steps back toward the, now very close, edge of the stream in order to maintain her balance.

Cara lowered one hand to cup Kahlan’s behind and frowned in displeasure when she felt clothing preventing her from feeling Kahlan’s smooth skin. Wanting to change the situation, Cara slide her fingers under the sides of Kahlan’s undergarments and made slow circles on the brunette’s hips with her thumbs, taking pleasure at the way Kahlan shivered at her touch and reflexively squeezed the Mord’Sith’s nipple harder. Hungrily, the blonde started a wet path of hot kisses down Kahlan’s neck, stopping to rake her teeth on the juncture between Kahlan’s shoulder and neck. She didn’t pause long before continuing down to engulf Kahlan’s nipple into her mouth, alternately sucking then flicking her tongue over it.

“Spirits Cara,” Kahlan gasped in pleasure, moving her hands to bury her fingers in the blonde’s hair and effectively bringing Cara’s mouth closer to her skin. Recognizing Kahlan’s heightened state of arousal, the Mord’Sith slowed her motions in anticipation of the Confessor pleading with her to stop their activities, but the Confessor surprised with her next words. “It feels so good, don’t stop,” Kahlan breathed huskily, looking down into Cara’s green eyes hungrily.

Keeping her eyes lock with Kahlan’s, Cara knelt on the ground and lavished the brunette’s toned abs with her lips and tongue. The blonde looked intensely up at Kahlan while sucking on the soft skin at the brunette’s hip and finally pulled Kahlan’s underwear down. She released the skin with a wet sound and lowered her gaze to admire, for the first time, Kahlan’s completely naked body.

“You’re beautiful,” Cara whispered directly in Kahlan’s center, looking up to see a deep red color tint Kahlan’s face and neck. The Confessor cupped the blonde’s chin, prompting her to rise to her feet again. Cara got up and kissed Kahlan tenderly on the lips, placing her hand gently on the brunette’s hips, tracing small patterns with the tips of her fingers. “I must be really good; I can make the Mother Confessor blush and I leave her speechless,” Cara wiggled her eyebrows playfully at Kahlan, enjoying the way the brunette squirmed under her gaze.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Kahlan smiled shyly and slapped the Mord’Sith’s shoulder. This was the first time she had ever been completely naked in front of someone; it was only natural that she was a little shy about it. However, she knew that Cara’s teasing and playful banter had one goal only: to ease Kahlan’s nerves. Kahlan took a deep, cooling breath, placing her hands on the blonde’s shoulders and resting her forehead against Cara’s. “We shouldn’t be like this in the open,” Kahlan looked down at their naked bodies and glanced nervously behind her to the path leading to the stream.

“Where do you suggest we hide?” Cara looked around them to the various trees and behind her to the clean waters. Before she could turn her head back to Kahlan, the blonde felt a strong shove against her shoulders and the water hit her back, surrounding her as she sunk into the stream.

Kahlan laughed at her successful attempt to catch Cara off guard, pushing her into the stream. The Confessor entered the water and, as Cara still didn’t resurface, waded further out. She yelped in surprise as she felt something shove her until she had her back against a large worn boulder that interrupted the stream’s flow. Kahlan looked down to see a blonde head surfacing with a mischievous smirk. “You startled me for a second, that’s not funny,” Kahlan said with a mock serious face, wrapping her arm’s around Cara’s neck while the blonde tenderly caressed Kahlan’s shoulders.

“But it’s funny to throw me in the stream?” Cara asked disbelievingly.

“You looked like you needed to be cooled down,” the Confessor shrugged dismissively.

“I don’t think that that’s what I need,” Cara breathed against Kahlan’s lips and captured them ardently once again. The Mord’Sith lowered one hand to cup Kahlan’s breast, moaning at feeling of the brunette’s nipple hardening beneath her hand as the brunette moaned too.

Cara’s hand felt scorching on Kahlan’s breast, even underneath the water. They were very close together, but the need Kahlan could feel in the blonde’s kisses made the brunette want to be even closer. Kahlan started to feel light headed as a warm and tingling feeling started to spread in her lower belly. On instinct, the brunette lifted her strangely weak feeling legs and wrapped them around Cara’s back, aided by the water buoyancy.

Groaning at the change in Kahlan’s position, the blonde moved her hands to Kahlan’s thighs and instinctively thrust her hips forward, pressing between Kahlan’s legs to create some desperately needed friction. The brunette arched her back, hissing in pleasure at the intimate contact and used her shoulders as leverage to grind her hips against Cara’s. The blonde moaned throatily and darted her lips to the column of Kahlan’s exposed neck, planting her feet firmly on the sandy river bed to prevent herself from being pushed away by the force of the Confessor’s hips.

Kahlan could swear the water was heating up around them. Cara’s lips nibbling at her earlobe and the blonde’s hands moving up to erotically massage her breasts were making it very difficult for Kahlan to keep her eyes open, not to mention thinking coherently. She opened her mouth to warn Cara that their make out session was getting out of hand, but Cara chose that moment to bite her earlobe and slid her hand to the small of Kahlan’s back, pulling the Confessor firmly against her. Not surprisingly, instead of a warning, the only thing that came out of Kahlan’s mouth was a shamelessly loud moan that proved just how much Kahlan was enjoying the Mord’Sith’s attention.

“Sounds like you need the same thing I do,” Cara whispered hotly in Kahlan’s ear, grinning smugly when the brunette whimpered in response and sunk her nails in the blonde’s shoulders.

“You have no idea how much,” Kahlan said seductively, lowering her head to kiss Cara’s shoulder. Unwrapping her legs from Cara’s waist, with a powerful swimmer’s kick and one hand on the boulder as leverage, it was all that was needed to flip their positions so that she was pressing the unprepared Mord’Sith against the boulder. Before Cara could even think of protesting about the change, Kahlan pushed one of her strong thighs in between the blonde’s legs.

Feeling Kahlan’s leg grinding against her center had Cara unconsciously flattening her feet against the boulder’s side and sliding herself up Kahlan’s thigh with a gasp. The blonde took hold of Kahlan’s smiling face and kissed her swollen lips desperately, relinquishing control to the Confessor as Kahlan griped Cara’s hips and aided the blonde in her sensual movement.

Kahlan ended the kiss and separated her face from Cara far enough to stare spellbound at a quivering Cara. The blonde, her mouth slightly open in pleasure, was taking large gulps of air to feed her fast working body. Her eyes were unfocused as she met Kahlan’s gaze, but Kahlan could clearly see the love reflecting from the green orbs. Kahlan was certain that she had never seen Cara look more beautiful.

“Spirits, I never thought I would ever say this, but we should stop,” Cara groaned, closing her eyes tightly in noticeable frustration as she pushed softly against Kahlan’s arms to stop the Confessor’s motion and the motion of her own hips.

Kahlan stopped her movements for a moment and waited until Cara reopened her eyes. When the blonde’s lustful eyes were gazing back at her, Kahlan looked deep into them and pushed her thigh firmly against Cara’s center, making the blonde whimper in surprise and pleasure. Kahlan left her thigh there while she licked Cara’s upper lip teasingly, before finally disentangled their legs and turning and moving a bit away from an open-mouthed Cara.

“You tease,” the Mord’Sith accused, biting her lower lip, but obviously very pleased with Kahlan’s dominant side.

“I learned from the best,” Kahlan replied promptly, lifting one finger to gently release Cara’s swollen lip from between the blonde’s teeth and letting her wet digit slide sensuously over the supple flesh. 

“That’s not helping my restrain,” Cara warned as she bit softly on Kahlan’s finger. “Get out of the water before I change my mind,” the blonde grabbed Kahlan’s wrist and placed a tender kiss on the inside of it.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Kahlan asked with a tilt of her head, combing her fingers through blonde wet locks.

“No,” Cara sighed, cupping Kahlan’s chin and giving the Confessor a reassuring kiss. “But some things are better when they can be shared,” the blonde said softly, looking meaningfully into Kahlan’s eyes.

Cara’s sentimental words made Kahlan’s heart swell and a wide grin illuminate her face. The Confessor nodded her understanding and brought her lips to Cara’s once more, conveying with the soft caress how grateful she was for the considerate and tender way in which Cara treated her. She had never guessed the blonde would turn out to be a romantic, but it was hardly the first time she had been wrong.

They got out of the water and took turns drying their bodies with the cloth Cara had brought for herself, all the while stealing glances at each other. To avoid a repeat of what had happened moments before, Kahlan turned her back to Cara with a smile and busied herself with putting on her undergarments and her black corset. Behind her, Cara was taking her time with her leathers, more interested in watching Kahlan comb her fingers through her long dark hair.

“So, Alys told me how you took care of her last night,” Kahlan started, glancing at Cara over her shoulder to gauge the blonde’s reaction. The Mord’Sith just grunted noncommittally as she adjusted the bottom of her uniform. “Why didn’t you wake me? I could have helped,” Kahlan prodded.

“Because you were asleep,” Cara deadpanned.

At Cara’s quick reply Kahlan let out a full laugh, causing Cara to raise her eyebrows is wonderment. “So I’ve heard,” Kahlan said still chuckling and remembering how Alys had given her the exact same answer in the exact same tone. It looked like she was the only one missing that obvious piece of logic.

“She told me that when you hugged her, she closed her eyes and it was like she was back at home again,” Kahlan continued as she pulled up her white dress. “What do you think that means?”

“She’s your daughter; she probably gets a lot of hugs from you,” Cara rationalized with a shrug, sliding her arms through the tight leather sleeves.

“She probably does,” Kahlan agreed and moved behind Cara to help the blonde with the laces at her back. “But she wasn’t talking about me,” the brunette hinted, knowing that Cara was well aware of what she was referring to, but for some reason was still avoiding the subject.

“She said she missed me,” Cara revealed with a resigned sigh. “So I’m probably with her in the future; I must be part of her life too,” the Mord’Sith reasoned, seemly unconcerned with the implications of her theory, except, of course, for her reluctance to speak of it in the first place.

“I suspect that you’re a bigger part of her life than we think,” Kahlan mused, finishing the intricate laces at Cara’s back; the image of Alys deflecting the wizard’s fire flashing through her eyes. “Did you see how well her hands healed?” she asked, rounding Cara to stand in front of the blonde.

“You must have taken a wizard for a mate,” Cara shrugged and cleared her throat uncomfortably, bending down to retrieve her agiels.

“Richard’s not the father, didn’t you hear what Alys said the other day?” the Confessor recalled, furrowing at Cara’s cold tone.

“I heard her say Richard’s not the father, but I also heard her said that you took a mate,” Cara corrected, wishing that Kahlan dropped the topic. She hated to be reminded that eventually Kahlan would have to lie down with a man to fulfill her duty as a Confessor, to have children in order to continue the line of Confessors. “So the bastard probably is a wizard,” she said, shoving her agiels in their holsters with a lot more forcefully than needed.

“You don’t know that,” Kahlan contradicted, as a hint of a smile curved her lips at Cara’s very noticeable distaste for the idea of a man touching Kahlan.

“Can you find another reasonable explanation for your daughter’s little tricks?” the blonde challenged, leaving one hand griping one of her agiels and locking her gaze with Kahlan’s.

“I can’t give you a _reasonable_ one,” the Confessor conceded, shaking her head. “But the way she is with you keeps nagging at me for some reason,” she insisted, cupping the blonde’s cheeks and looking at her with a hopeful smile.

“I know what you’re thinking and you can stop right there,” Cara warned, gently grabbing Kahlan’s wrists. “You know that’s impossible,” Cara said, letting go of the brunette’s wrist and turning around to pick up the discarded cloth on the ground and spread it over a rock so that it could dry a little.

“What if it was possible?” Kahlan wondered hopefully, twiddling her fingers nervously.

“For the Creator’s sake Kahlan, not that it would make a difference, but we can’t even have sex,” Cara briskly swiveled around and pointed out more harshly than she intended. She didn’t regret her words; she regretted the way she said them, but the look on Kahlan’s face told her that the Confessor was more disappointed with the fact that Cara was right than by the harsh tone Cara had used. “Come here,” Cara beckoned, opening her arms to hold Kahlan tenderly as the brunette sunk in her embrace.

“I just wish things were simpler,” Kahlan whispered while nuzzling Cara’s neck.

“I know, but they’re not,” the Mord’Sith gently replied, soothingly stroking the wet hair on the back of Kahlan’s head. “I don’t have that kind of magical powers and you do have a line to rebuild; it’s your duty Kahlan. I know you won’t run away from it and you can be sure I’ll be right beside you all the way,” Cara promised. “I just don’t want you to fantasize about something that will only get you hurt when it doesn’t come true.”

To Cara, musing about the impossible, even if that impossible was what they both wanted, it was just setting them both up for heartache. Cara was sure they would be together, but miracles didn’t exist and she had come to accept what needed to be done so that Kahlan could fulfill her duty. She didn’t like it, but she accepted it.

“Thank you,” Kahlan whispered against Cara’s neck.

“For what?” the Mord’Sith placed a kiss on Kahlan’s temple before the Confessor lifted her head to gaze deep into Cara’s eyes.

“Loving me,” Kahlan answered sincerely, smiling as she leaned in to kiss Cara’s lips softly.

“That’s a pretty easy thing to do,” the blonde shrugged playfully, although the sincerity in her eyes let Kahlan know that those words were the plain truth. “The hard part is you loving me back. I know I can be… challenging most of the time,” Cara shifted her eyes away from Kahlan’s gaze, noticeably losing some of her confidence.

“You are,” Kahlan confirmed, moving her hand to Cara’s chin to direct the blonde’s gaze back to hers. “But your tough act hasn’t fooled me in a long time,” she shook her head and stroke a loving hand down Cara’s cheek. “And you’re loosing your touch; you can’t even fool a kid anymore,” Kahlan gasped, her eyes widening in mock shock, earning herself a poke in the ribs from Cara.

“Obviously that’s because she knows me better than she let’s on,” Cara defended herself. “But whatever I am in the future doesn’t matter right now,” Cara shrugged. “Right now we’ll take Alys home, where she belongs. I can only imagine how your future self is reacting; she’s probably having a fit.” Cara supposed, watching Kahlan nod in agreement. 

“And with a wizard on the loose trying to kill me, my guess is that Alys’s disappearance is not the only thing she has to worry about,” the Confessor added with a troubled look. 


	15. Chapter 15

As he walked, Richard casually pulled the compass from his belt and checked their direction. It was something the others were used to seeing him do and no one paid any attention to it. The light, remained firmly pointed in Aydindril’s direction, as it had been every day for the past week of their journey. Glumly, Richard put the compass away, resigned in his disappointment. The Seeker knew he was still not his old self. A part of him kept hoping this was some kind of mistake. Although he was able to speak with more ease to Kahlan and to Cara, he still refrained from teasing the blonde freely as he once had and was subdued in either’s presence. The sight of Kahlan and Cara together, even if they weren’t doing anything more than sharing a look, made his chest ache with sorrow and jealously. He was aware that everyone had noticed that he was more introverted; how could they not? It was not just the pain he felt every time he looked longingly at Kahlan that caused him to be anxious and frustrated, the unanswered questions about Alys and the future crowded his mind. There was still so much they still didn’t know. Perhaps getting the answers would help him move past this pain… although he wasn’t sure he wanted to know if they confirmed that he had really lost Kahlan. Nevertheless, he was the Seeker of Truth; it was his nature to get the answers, or at least, to not stop searching for them until he got them. As for getting Kahlan, that was something that seemed farther away with every day that passed.

Kahlan had noticed how Richard was quieter; he walked ahead of them and barely glanced behind. He was friendly to her and Cara both, but there was this air of detachment that Kahlan had no idea how to counteract. The brunette couldn’t really blame Richard for keeping to himself. Zedd had assured her earlier that he was confident that Richard would eventually return to normal, but right now he needed time to mourn the loss of his relationship with Kahlan. The Confessor could only hope that this would prove to be true.

Shaking her thoughts away from Richard, Kahlan let her attention drift to her daughter. Soon, she was smiling as she entertained herself by eavesdropping as Zedd took it upon himself to amuse the child. The Wizard constructed a tale that stretched over several miles as early afternoon turned into late, his voice rising and falling as he gestured animatedly. Zedd was actually a credible story teller, but by the way the child was absentmindedly nodding her head as they trudged along ahead of Kahlan, the elder Confessor guessed that Zedd had already told her this story and Alys was only indulging the wizard. Her attention started to drift again and, peeking at Cara beside her, Kahlan noticed she wasn’t the only one the story telling had entertained. She smiled as the Mord’Sith smirked and shook her head softly, to herself, as the wizard’s gestures became exceptionally enthusiastic. A moment later, however, the blonde suddenly stopped. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and she tilted her head as if trying to hear something. Kahlan opened her mouth to ask, when the sound of hooves could be clearly heard by all of them as the riders must have crested the hill behind them. They turned as one to face the road behind them, stepping to the side of the path as Kahlan readied herself to see those who were riding for Aydindril in such a hurry. On the curve of the road, instead of the supplicant Kahlan expected to see racing for Aydindril in search of a Confessor’s aid, appeared four black horses galloping in their direction. For an instant, she gaped, blinking as the four Mord’Sith clad in blood red leather thundered towards them and her hands dropped to her daggers.

“Get behind me you two,” Richard said urgently to Zedd and Alys, unsheathing his sword and quickly striding forward, ready to be the first one the Mord’Sith would reach. “And prepare to flee if you need to,” he added, knowing his grandfather’s magic was useless against Mord’Sith.

Cara promptly flanked the Seeker and drew her agiels, ready to come to his aid. Kahlan moved to Cara’s other side, drawing her daggers and extending one to Richard, making the Seeker look at her in confusion. Cara looked down at the weapon been offered in front of her and nodded in understanding.

“It’s not only Zedd’s magic that’s useless against Mord’Sith,” the blonde verbalized Kahlan’s intention, looking pointedly at Richard as she motioned for him to take the dagger.

The Seeker nodded in understanding at Cara and put his sword back in its scabbard. Smiling gratefully at Kahlan, Richard took the dagger from the Confessor’s hands and focused his attention back on the approaching horses.

“Stay with Zedd, Alys,” Kahlan said over her shoulder to the girl, watching as she clutched the wizard’s robes in fear. “If things take a turn for the worse, take her with you,” she told the wizard needlessly, silently vowing retribution for her daughter’s fear. She looked back to the road ahead, standing ready to protect her loved ones.

“Don’t worry, little one,” Zedd reassured the frightened young Confessor. “We won’t let them hurt you,” he put an arm comfortingly around Alys’ tense shoulders.

The Mord’Sith pulled their horses to a stop a few paces in front of them and dismounted calmly. The women took a few steps towards the Seeker and halted just outside of weapons’ reach. The leader of the quad stepped out in front of the other three and scornfully ran her eyes over the opposition. None of the women had drawn their agiels yet, but their alert posture showed that they were ready to attack at any moment.

“We’re here to take the little girl,” Garren said curtly, glancing in Alys’s direction.

“To take the girl, you’ll have to go through us first,” Kahlan took a defiant step towards Garren, a clear challenge in the brunette’s eyes. “And that’s not going to happen,” she guaranteed, hand clenching around her dagger.

“Oh, you’re wrong _Mother Confessor_ ,” Garren spat Kahlan’s title as if it tasted bitter on her tongue. “We will happily take you down and leave with the girl,” she smirked arrogantly, drawing her agiel threateningly.

“Actually, I’ll be the only one of us leaving with the midget,” Gwen’s voice sounded from behind Garren. Without any warning, Gwen rapidly brought her arms from behind her back and stabbed two black agiels right in the nape of the head’s of the Sisters at both her sides. The women didn’t even have time to grab their weapons to defend themselves.

The last of Gwen’s words were drowned out by the screams of the brunette’s agiels and the thuds of two lifeless bodies hitting the ground. Garren swiveled around sharply to see what had happened. The Mord’Sith leader had no idea if she should be more astounded by the dead women at Gwen’s feet or by the black agiels Gwen held in her hands. The red agiel with which she had trained the brunette still rested impotently in its holster at the woman’s side.

“What the-“Garren trailed off in confusion, her eyes searching Gwen’s for understanding. “Where did you get those?” she demanded, anger beginning to color her tone as the shock faded.

“In the woods,” the brunette Mord’Sith replied simply, her eyes going from Garren to the confused and suspicious ones of the other four adults. “Where I had dropped them,” she elaborated, not relaxing her vigilant stance for a second.

Kahlan caught Gwen’s searching eyes and she felt oddly invaded by the intense gaze; it was as if the Mord’Sith was trying to see into her very soul. She watched as the young Mord’Sith’s gaze shifted to Cara and the searching look turned into one of utter disbelief. Not one to be intimidated, Cara stared the young woman down, mutely telling Gwen that whatever her intentions were, she wasn’t going to get away with them. 

“What exactly do you think you are doing?” Garren snarled, pivoting so that she could see the young Mord’Sith without turning her back on anyone else. Gwen’s eyes snapped satisfyingly back to Garren. “I’m your _Mistress,”_ the head Mord’Sith’s tone sank into an icy, menacing growl and her eyes blazed into her Sister’s, willing her into submission. “Your loyalty belongs to me; I trained you, _you_ are _mine!_ ” Garren commanded uselessly, her back stiffening as Gwen met her stare and didn’t look away. 

This shouldn’t be happening; she had _broken_ this girl. Garren had never seen a Mord’Sith betray her Sisters and challenge a superior like this. She took a half step back, shifting the grip on her agiel into a defensive hold.

“I have been _trained_ all my life,” Gwen smirked, her tone more confident and commanding than Garren had ever heard it. “But I was trained to _lead_ , not to _follow_ ,” she raised her head proudly. “And what you did to me back in the temple was _torture_ , not _training_ ,” the brunette spat. “So you can keep this, I’m not really fond of it,” she said, letting one of the black agiels dangle from its chain at her wrist, Gwen plucked the red agiel from her waist and threw it at Garren’s feet, obviously mocking her. “I have my own weapons; weapons I was _trained_ with.”

*****

Kahlan stared, dumbfounded, at the scene she was witnessing. The Confessor glanced at Cara for enlightenment, but the blonde’s surprised expression was enough to let her know that this was not at all normal. Cara was focusing on the rogue Mord’Sith, apparently more worried about her than about Garren, as the two bantered. Kahlan griped her daggers and risked a glance at Alys, making sure her daughter was still safe, before whispering questioningly at Cara, “Does she look familiar to you?” 

“As surprising as it may be, I don’t know every Mord’Sith that exists,” Cara quipped while inching protectively close to Kahlan without looking away from the other two.

“I just can’t shake the feeling that she looks familiar somehow,” Kahlan absentmindedly shared her thoughts with the blonde, a small smile creeping to her lips as she was charmed by Cara’s need to protect her from whatever threat they faced. It was wiped away, an instant later, as Kahlan gaped at the way the young Mord’Sith threw an agiel at her Mistress’ feet.

*****

“What do you really want, Gwen?” Garren asked through her teeth, truly worried about this betrayal. It was impossible. The whole thing was impossible.

“The real name is Sarah,” the young Mord’Sith informed her, glancing at the bodies at her feet as she stepped forward. “And I want the same thing you do,” she smiled menacingly. “The girl,” Sarah glanced at Alys, frowning when she noticed Zedd shove the girl further behind him. She shook her head slightly and turned back to Garren. “So, thanks, for pointing me in the midget’s direction.”

“I don’t know who you are,” Garren admitted angrily. “But you won’t get in my way or prevent me from fulfilling my mission,” she growled. “If you can’t be broken properly, you can certainly be killed,” her agiel screamed louder as her fingers tightened around the hilt.

“I’m so sick of that little stick of yours,” the daring girl huffed, looking bored. A teasing smirk started to appear on her lips. “You want to see what I call an agiel?” Sarah taunted while bringing both of her agiels together at the handle, horizontally. 

Garren stared with wide eyes, stunned by what was happening before her. The black agiels merged at the hilt and lengthened into a staff. The screams coming from the stretching agiels grew as the weapons did, becoming even louder than the screams coming from her own. By the screeching sound that it emitted as Sarah swung the agiel-staff in an experimental test of Garren’s defenses, it was a _very_ dangerous weapon. 

Garren was not the only one surprised and confused by Sarah’s morphing weapon. The other onlookers were also stunned. Richard looked at Cara in hopes that the blonde Mord’Sith had an explanation, but sighed in frustration when Cara just glanced back at him looking flabbergasted and suspicious. She shook her head mutely.

“That’s right, mine is bigger than yours,” Sarah said in an insinuating manner, smirking and looking straight into Garren’s eyes insolently as the elder Mord’Sith blocked hurriedly. “And I know how to use it.” Sarah pivoted, bringing the other end of her staff around and extending her leg into Garren’s path as the other tried to doge. Garren crashed soundly onto the hard ground and Sarah pinned the woman in place with one end of the staff, her weapon screaming in victory as it burned into Garren.

“You are undeserving of the Mord’Sith title,” Garren accused between gasps of pain, trying to get up from the ground and unable to make her muscle respond properly as she endured the excruciating bite of the black staff. “I’m ashamed to call you my Sister,” she said, summoning all the willpower she possessed to try and twist away, but a hard kick to her stomach prevented her from getting up.

“I’m not your Sister,” Sarah denied spitefully.

“You’re not Mord’Sith?” Garren asked confused, briefly stopping her struggling in surprise and puzzlement.

“I _am_ Mord’Sith,” Sarah lifted her chin proudly, using her weight behind the staff to press the weapon more firmly on Garren’s stomach as the older woman gritted her teeth in pain. “But the difference between us is that I was _born_ , not broken,” she took a deep breath, her fingers clenching tighter around her staff. “So now you can see why I don’t enjoy being hung from chains while being poked with an agiel,” Sarah shouted angrily and shoved the end of her weapon against Garren’s heart with vengeance, ending the woman’s life.

Suddenly silent above Garren’s lifeless body, Sarah shook her head and turned away to look at Alys. Without any hesitation or fear, the Mord’Sith moved in the child’s direction. Seeing this, Kahlan rapidly moved to stand more protectively in front of Alys, serving as a shield for her daughter. Although, not wanting to take any chances, Kahlan lunged at Sarah, attacking the Mord’Sith with a series of quick and skilled strikes. Sarah was quick to defend herself with expertise and as Sarah parried her first few blows, Kahlan recognized that this girl was good. Yet, as the young Mord’Sith continued to block Kahlan’s attacks, it almost seemed that Sarah was anticipating her attacks, as if she knew Kahlan’s fight style. The cocky smirk that started to appear in the Mord’Sith’s lips didn’t help to assuage Kahlan’s flash of fear as she started to worry. It was like attacking a wall. Even more puzzling was the fact that Sarah remained completely on the defensive; she didn’t once try to attack Kahlan, she just blocked everything the Confessor threw at her.

The Confessor interpreted this lack of offense by arrogance from the Mord’Sith. Kahlan looked into the sparking green eyes of her opponent and surely the young woman was like a cat, playing with her prey before striking the final blow. Kahlan refused to be a mouse in the paws of an enemy, so she doubled her efforts and missed Sarah’s abdomen by very little. This caused the young woman to lose her smirk and lightly brush Kahlan’s shin with her staff; the touch although light, was enough to render Kahlan to her knees from the searing pain. 

Seeing her mother fall, Alys tried to jerk free of Zedd’s grip.

Sarah looked like she was about to say something, but Cara didn’t gave her the chance. Already she was moving to circle around the combatants, attempting to flank the girl before the young brunette had managed to hit Kahlan. Hearing the Confessor scream as the black agiel touched her, Cara attacked the young Mord’Sith without hesitation, giving up her attempt to circle the girl as Kahlan fell. 

Turning from Kahlan, Sarah parried Cara’s first swing. The blond Mord’Sith gasped in surprise at the deafening screams the clashing agiels emitted and Sarah grunted in pain from the force of their colliding weapons. Since none of them had yet touched her in this fight, it led Cara to believe that the Mord’Sith probably had unhealed wounds beneath her leathers. The blonde smirked in satisfaction at this new found knowledge and the split second she was distracted was enough for Sarah to almost hit her. Every hair on Cara’s body stood up in alert; it was clear that Sarah had unexpected prowess to get that close to harming _her_.

They traded a couple of blows and Cara noticed that, like she had done with Kahlan, Sarah was opting to be primarily on the defensive, her few attacks half hearted attempts to get some breathing space. The brunette Mord’Sith movements were slowing and her ragged breath was a sign that she was becoming increasingly tired, but there was a strange kind of proud stubbornness in the girl’s eyes. Cara could see that she probably wouldn’t back down even if she was still holding back. Driving her opponent away from Kahlan as the Confessor struggled to rise, Cara managed to catch one end of the black staff between her agiels; she looked at Sarah with a smirk of victory only to see a perfect copy of her own smug smirk on the girl’s face. Before Cara had time to read Sarah’s expression better, she felt an excruciating and familiar pain on her abdomen. The blonde looked down to see that Sarah had separated her agiels again; one of them still trapped between Cara’s red ones and the other firmly aimed at the blonde’s stomach. 

Kahlan saw the Mord’Sith get under Cara’s defenses and wasted no time in throwing her dagger at the young brunette holding an agiel that was positioned to strike the woman she loved. As she started to release the blade, Alys desperately jerked free from Zedd and collided with her mother, making her stumble. The dagger spun through the air, only to cut Sarah’s arm instead of striking its intended location.

Sarah screamed in pain, falling to her knees and lifting one hand to cradle the cut. Taking advantage of Sarah’s vulnerable state, Cara raised her agiel to strike the wounded brunette.

“ _No_!” Alys screamed desperately, struggling against Kahlan’s grip as the elder Confessor caught her before she could get to the two fighting Mord’Sith. “Stop, don’t hurt her,” the blonde Confessor pleaded with Cara, stunning the other three adults and causing the older blonde to pause in her attack.

Seizing the opportunity, Sarah carefully scooted back away from Cara.

“She wants to take you away, Alys,” Cara responded, advancing on the wounded Mord’Sith again.

“I don’t want to hurt Alys,” Sarah hurriedly explained before Cara could get to her, her eyes wide and desperate. She suspected that she was only confusing Cara further.

“She won’t take me away,” Alys promised. “Please, let me go,” she pleaded, tugging her arm free from Kahlan’s hold and struggling against the arm still around her waist.

After another moment’s hesitation, Kahlan let the girl go. Her jaw dropped as Alys practically flew into the brunette Mord’Sith’s arms.

Cara made a move to stop Alys mid run, not understanding how Kahlan could be so careless with this stranger, but Kahlan caught her eye mid motion. Scowling, Cara glared back at her.

“Clearly Alys knows who this girl is,” Kahlan whispered reassuringly before Cara could voice her protest. “And Sarah did kill the other Mord’Sith,” Kahlan smiled as Cara sighed in defeat at her logic and climbed to her feet. Standing beside the blonde, Kahlan touched Cara’s arm reassuringly as Cara regarded the young Mord’Sith and Confessor with suspicion.

“Thank the Spirits I finally found you,” Sarah exhaled in relief, hugging Alys tightly to her body. “Are you okay?” she asked, pushing Alys away from her to look in the blonde’s eyes.

“I had some people taking care of me,” Alys nodded and tilted her head in Cara’s and Kahlan’s direction.

“About that,” Sarah trailed off as she got to her feet with a painful wince and regarded the four adults closely. “What’s going on here? Because something doesn’t look right,” the young woman inquired; although she addressed no one in particular, her eyes ended up settling on Cara.

“That would be you,” Cara supplied curtly.

Sarah just raised one confused, albeit amused, eyebrow and turned to look expectantly at the little blonde smiling up at her at her side.

“I assume you went through a portal back home, right?” Alys questioned, looking up at Sarah and watching as the Mord’Sith eyes became distant for a moment, clearly remembering what had happened to her.

“Yes, I did,” Sarah cleared her throat uncomfortably and swallowed hard, noticing Cara pin her with a suspicious look.

“I did too,” Alys said with a shrug. “And that made us travel twenty years back in time,” the blue-eyed child explained simply, nodding as Sarah gapped at her.

“So they,” Sarah trailed off, looking curiously at the other four and waiting for Alys to fill in the blanks.

“They’re exactly who they look like they are,” Alys confirmed. “Only twenty years younger,” she added with a giggle, watching as Sarah’s eyes traveled over the adults, analyzing them. 

“Glad to see you know us,” Cara said sarcastically. “But as you can imagine, we would like to know who you are too,” the blonde raised an expectant eyebrow.

Contrary to what Cara expected Sarah just looked sadly at her before nodding her head in understanding. The brunette Mord’Sith moved her agiels to her back, clearly expecting to find some kind of holster there, but not finding any, she just held the weapons loosely in her hands.

“I’m Sarah,” she responded simply.

“Sarah what?” Richard asked.

“It’s just Sarah; you don’t really have to know anything else,” she said with a dismissive shrug.

“You just waltzed in here accompanied by Mord’Sith, demanding to take Alys with you,” Cara summoned up coldly. “Excuse us if we need more information than that to trust you,” the blonde insisted, clearly not amused by the lack of knowledge.

“Did the same wizard that pushed Alys into the portal push you too?” Zedd asked, waiting patiently as Sarah seemed to be deciding what she should tell him; or rather, how much she should tell him. Unlike Cara, Zedd didn’t attribute this reluctance to any dark motive nor did he consider it a reason to distrust the girl. Rather, Zedd recognized in Sarah the same careful consideration Alys displayed when she was trying to avoid telling them too much about the future because of the possible drastic consequences that might bring.

“Farkas didn’t push me,” Sarah said finally, a flash of sadness darkening her eyes. “I jumped in,” she forced out as her throat closed with sudden emotion. Sarah glanced at Cara and blinked back the abrupt tears that clouded her vision.

“What happened?” Kahlan asked kindly, glancing from the unexpectedly upset Sarah to the confused Cara.

Sarah shrugged, looking at Kahlan and quickly averting her eyes from the Confessor. “I saw Farkas push Alys into the hole, then he jumped in, so I ran and jumped in to get to Alys before the hole closed,” she explained simply, smiling reassuringly down at Alys as she could see the young girl noticing her somber mood. 

“If you’re only meeting Alys now, where did you end up?” Kahlan continued her gentle questioning, noticing how Sarah perked up with the slight change of subject. 

“Yes, if you jumped in after Alys shouldn’t you have ended up with her in this time?” Richard asked before Sarah could reply to Kahlan. The brunette raised her eyebrows, seeming to be interested in this answer too, so she looked at Zedd for clarification.

“Time and space are directly linked; if they entered the portal at separate times, even if only by seconds,” Zedd calmly explained. “And as neither had the wizard’s power needed to control the Triangle of Anuyr, they very well could have ended up separated by miles on this side of the portal,” the wizard nodded pensively. 

“And you ended up in the middle of a Mord’Sith temple?” Cara guessed dryly, judging by the company the girl had arrived with. Given that Alys clearly knew and trusted this girl, Cara’s companions seemed ready to accept her minimal explanations but Cara was not willing to do the same just yet. Someone had to watch out for all of them.

“Almost,” Sarah answered, unfazed by Cara’s noticeable distrust. “I woke up in the middle of the forest during the night. I felt completely drained of strength, my vision was all blurry, and I had no idea where I was. I got up and started to look around for my agiels. I couldn’t really concentrate and I didn’t notice two Mord’Sith creep up on me,” Sarah recalled. “I tried to resist them, we fought a little, but they rendered me unconscious and took me away. The next time I woke up, I was dangling from chains with only two strips of leather covering some of the best parts of me,” Sarah smirked impishly, causing Kahlan to tilt her head in confusion as she recognized that expression from somewhere.

“Why did you stay in the temple?” Alys questioned as she squinted at the older girl, interrupting Kahlan’s musings. “You could have easily gotten out,” the little girl pointed out.

“It would have been impossible for her to escape a temple full of Mord’Sith,” Cara said with a disbelieving snort. “That’s ridiculous,” she added with a shake of her head.

“Well, when she was my age, she did manage to fool the entire Home Guard, the Mord’Sith _and_ the Mother Confessor herself so she could get out of Aydindril,” Alys told them with a grin. “So, just the Mord’Sith shouldn’t have been that much of a challenge,” the child reasoned, unconsciously revealing more things about the future.

“I was reckless that time,” Sarah recalled, shaking her head at the girl’s amusement with her past deeds. “And I was probably reckless again when I jumped through that portal,” Sarah said in serious tone, the hint of sadness returning to her voice. “When I first woke up in the _training_ room, Garren didn’t believe I was a Mord’Sith, so they had a wizard summoned to blast me with wizard’s fire and clarify the doubts. That wizard was Farkas,” Sarah revealed, noticing Alys widen her eyes in worry and the others silently encouraging her to share more about the wizard who most likely, days ago, had attacked Kahlan. “He didn’t recognize me, probably because I wasn’t exactly at my best,” she hinted at her battered state, not wanting to spell it out for Alys’ sake. Focusing her gaze on the blonde Confessor, Sarah continued. “Knowing that he might have you and you might be in danger I couldn’t afford to be reckless again,” she explained, taking a deep breath. “So, I stayed, I gained their trust and I was careful to stay out of Farkas’s sight. I overheard a conversation between him and Garren; they were planning to kidnap you. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew that my best chance at finding you was to be on the quad sent out to kidnap you. And here I am,” Sarah finished proudly, ruffling Alys’s hair affectionately.

“The wizard that attacked Kahlan was probably that Farkas then,” Richard concluded, watching as Sarah nodded her head in agreement. “He seemed surprised when Alys rebuffed his attack,” Richard continued pensively. “At the time I thought he was just taken aback that a child managed to block his wizard’s fire, but maybe he just wasn’t expecting to see Alys there with us?” the Seeker supposed, fixing his eyes on Sarah curiously as his mind tried to identify what was it about the young Mord’Sith that was so familiar to him.

“Farkas attacked you?” Sarah exclaimed with wide eyes, grabbing Alys’s hands and worriedly examined every inch of the now healed skin. Kahlan couldn’t help but smile at the familiar way both girls interacted with each other. It was obvious by the way Alys’ safety came first and foremost to Sarah that she cared for the little blonde girl.

“She jumped in front of the wizard’s fire to protect me,” Kahlan supplied, once again feeling worry mixing with pride as she recalled her daughter’s brave act.

“He looked different, but it had to be him,” Alys nodded and her eyes widened as she saw the rage start to build in Sarah’s eyes. “But I’m okay, don’t worry,” the blonde hurriedly reassured the upset teen in front of her, flexing her hands rapidly to prove that they were healed. “I’m a big girl,” she added, raising her chin proudly and pointedly looking at Sarah. “I can fight too, you know?” she said with her hands on her hips.

“Oh, I know you can fight,” Sarah confirmed, taking a deep calming breath. “But when it comes to facing wizard’s fire… let’s see if I can guess how well _that_ went,” Sarah tapped her chin with a finger with a mock exaggerated pensive look. “You _bravely_ blacked out after deflecting the attack,” Sarah snorted in amusement when Alys stubbornly refused to meet her eyes. Sarah looked at Kahlan for confirmation, which the older Confessor gave in the form of a small smile.

Alys made everyone chuckle as she grumpily crossed her arms over her chest and pouted dejectedly while looking sideways at Sarah.

“Aww, don’t be like that, little thing,” Sarah teased. “You did hurt him. I saw him wince every time he moved his shoulder the wrong way,” she revealed with a wink, watching as Alys’s pout morphed into a wicked grin.

“Can you tell us more about Farkas?” Kahlan questioned, hoping that Sarah would know something that would help them prepare for possible future attacks.

“First things first,” Sarah said assertively, but not unkindly. “Can I assume you have a plan to get us back to our time?” her eyes danced anxiously from Kahlan to Zedd.

“We must go to Aydindril to get to the Triangle of Anuyr,” Zedd started to explain. “If I use it, I’ll be able to send you back to your proper time. I’m confident that Farkas used it to-,”

“So, this triangle allows time traveling?” Sarah eagerly interrupted the wizard’s explanation, before her expression turned apologetic for having interrupted him so unceremoniously.

As Zedd nodded his confirmation, Sara smiled joyfully. For the first time she looked like the teenage girl she was supposed to be, it was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

“That’s where we’re headed now,” Kahlan added as the teenager nodded approvingly. Kahlan narrowed her eyes as she observed Sara closely. Finally, Kahlan understood what made the girl seem so familiar to her. The green eyes that she was now used to seek out for comfort - Cara’s eyes - were shinning with happiness as Sarah looked back at her. Sarah’s look was perhaps a more open and childish one, but the similarities were undeniable.

Richard was also paying close attention to the young Mord’Sith. Without knowing, he was having similar thoughts to Kahlan; he too had been gradually recognizing the similarities between this girl and Cara. Sarah was a teenager; her body was noticeably growing into that of a young woman, which made the similarities between the two Mord’Sith’s easier to detect than those between the Alys and Kahlan. Adding the fact that Alys knew this girl and both of them had come from the future, his mind was reaching a certain conclusion.

“How do you know Alys?” Richard asked Sarah, noticing the girl glance at Kahlan as she bit her lower lip in thought.

“We go to the same school,” she replied with a tilt of her head.

“That _is_ true,” a clearly amused Alys nodded approvingly up at the teen.

“But what are you to each other?” Richard pressed with a smile, knowing Sarah was being purposefully evasive with her answers.

“A pain in the ass, most of the time,” Sarah smirked, obviously having fun replying to the Seeker’s questions.

“You said ‘ass’, I’m telling,” Alys accused, pointing her finger at Sarah, the grin letting the others know she was very pleased at having caught the teen.

“You just said it too, so _I’m_ telling,” Sarah shot back, grinning in victory as the blonde Confessor narrowed her eyes at her. 

Kahlan was shaking her head with a smile as she watched the two girls banter with what looked like a well-established familiarity. They clearly knew each other well. She looked at Cara and chuckled at the exasperated look on the blonde’s face. Cara noticed she was looking at her and looked back with a roll of her eyes, clearly not amused at not having the answers she wanted, Kahlan bet. She saw as Cara took a breath to speak, most likely to shut the bickering girls up and get some answers, but closed it as Richard voice was heard first.

“You look like you could be Cara’s daughter,” Richard blurted out. He paled as Sarah turned her head suddenly to glare at him warningly, making the Seeker actually take an involuntary half-step back.

Cara almost gave herself whiplash by turning her head too quickly to look at Richard. The blonde was about to ask the Seeker if he had caught a little too much sun when Sarah’s hastily reply stopped her.

“I’m not,” Sarah held Richard’s gaze for a moment, but then she glanced at Kahlan and sighed in defeat as she slapped her forehead as she seemed to realize something. “Great, now you know that I’m lying,” she huffed causing everyone to gap at her; except for Alys, who just rolled her eyes and was looking expectantly between Sarah and the speechless adults.

Cara’s head snapped back to look at Sarah, wondering if all of them had conspired to cause her neck sever injury. The older Mord’Sith furrowed her eyebrows in utter confusion, surveying Sarah from head to toe as if trying to find evidence of the truthfulness of the young woman’s words. This could only be a joke. Looking closely Cara could recognize that, in fact, this girl rather looked like her, but that didn’t directly imply that they would be related in any way. The blonde glanced at Richard to see a pleased and hopeful smirk on the man’s face and she actually had to consciously restrain herself from smacking it off his face, because she was pretty sure what he was thinking.

The Seeker allowed himself to hope like he hadn’t done in a while. He was desperately grabbing to anything that might mean that Kahlan would eventually be his again. He could understand Kahlan’s need to be pregnant in the future; even if she truly _did_ end up with Cara, the brunette had a duty to help reestablish the line of Confessors. She would have to have a child, whether the one she loved was capable of siring one or not. But Cara had no such responsibility. There was no duty, nothing that made it necessary for Cara to become pregnant. For her to have conceived and carried a child would mean that she had chosen to do so, so if Sarah was Cara’s daughter it could very well mean that Kahlan and Cara were not together in the future.

“I can’t know if you are lying or not,” Kahlan contradicted automatically; staring blankly at Sarah as she tried to make her constricted lungs work normally again. “You’re a Mord’Sith. Confessors can’t read Mord’Sith.”

Kahlan was surprised that the girl didn’t know this already. Kahlan kept her gaze on the puzzled Sarah, but her arm unconsciously moved and she hooked her fingers on the side of Cara’s belt; the brunette’s body clearly seeking the comfort she needed before her mind could catch up. Kahlan only noticed her instinctive movement when she felt the blonde’s gloved fingers gently and surreptitiously brush hers reassuringly before Cara crossed her arms again. 

“Excuse me?” Sarah raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re kidding me, right?” she scoffed, a little taken aback by Kahlan’s denial about being able to read her. At Kahlan’s confused expression, Sarah squinted, staring at the brunette Confessor as if waiting for Kahlan to tell her that she had indeed been kidding. “You’re not kidding. Oh Spirits,” Sarah whispered, her head tilted in intern contemplation as her eyes became distant while thinking about this revelation. A muffled sound at her side made Sarah look over to see Alys covering her mouth to keep herself from bursting out laughing.

“You find this funny, Alys?” Sarah asked with a hint of annoyance, crossing her arms defensively over her chest and raising one eyebrow in frustration.

Kahlan instantly recognized how the girl’s posture and gestures resembled Cara’s own. It seemed that Sarah had more in common with Cara than just the looks, despite having black hair, the green eyes and the shape of her nose and lips where definitely incredibly similar to Cara’s. Kahlan’s musings were interrupted as Alys uncovered her mouth and let her laughter run free.

“I cannot believe this,” Sarah muttered, looking from a laughing Alys to a very confused Kahlan. “Will you shut up already!” the teen shot a warning look at Alys, but it only renewed the girl’s laughing fit.

“So, we’ve met Kahlan’s daughter and now we meet Cara’s daughter,” Richard resumed with a contemplative nod. “Did anyone else go through that portal?” the Seeker asked Sarah.

“Kahlan’s daughter?” Sarah repeated, ignoring Richard’s question and looking reproachfully at Alys.

“They figured it out on their own; it’s not like it’s that difficult,” Alys hurriedly defended herself. “And you are one to give me lectures; you just blurted out what you weren’t supposed to tell,” the child accused, seeming very pleased with herself.

“I didn’t _blurt it out_ ,” Sarah shot back. “I lied! But forgot the Confessor over there!” she said pointing at Kahlan.

“That’s no excuse!” Alys kept going. “It’s not like you’re not used to being around Confessors,” she pointed out, earning herself a glare form the brunette Mord’Sith, which didn’t faze her in the slightest.

While Alys and Sarah were bickering, Kahlan looked over at Cara to survey the Mord’Sith’s reaction. The blonde had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring into the distance with a stoic expression. Kahlan tugged gently on the blonde’s belt to regain Cara’s attention. The Mord’Sith turned her head to the side and met the Confessor’s eyes. Kahlan recognized the confusion in Cara’s eyes and she was pretty sure she was the only one who could detect the hint of apprehension Cara was trying to hide.

Unsure and fearful about what Sarah’s existence could mean, Kahlan inched closer to Cara and moved her hand from the blonde’s belt to rest it on Cara’s forearm, making soothing motions with her thumb. Kahlan watched as Cara uncrossed her arms and dropped her hand to meet Kahlan’s, interlacing their fingers. Kahlan promptly squeezed the blonde’s hand and sighed shakily when Cara squeezed her hand back, looking up into her eyes. Her touch had been meant to seek and give comfort and the small twitch of Cara’s lips, not quite a full smile, reassured Kahlan that her gesture was greatly appreciated. The brunette smiled, in silent understanding that they could talk later, when they found some privacy. With a last squeeze of her hand, Kahlan released her hold on Cara and turned to look back at the girls, catching Sarah looking sorrowfully in the direction of hers and Cara’s hands. But before she could study Sarah’s expression more closely, the young Mord’Sith caught Kahlan’s curious look and quickly turned away.

“I need to change,” Sarah said miserably as she shifted uncomfortably, looking down with disdain at her red leather. She hissed slightly as the shifting triggered her injuries painfully; now that she was more relaxed, the awareness of the multiple wounds she gained back in the Mord’Sith Temple seemed to intensify. The young Mord’Sith went to one of the horses and rummaged through one of the saddle bags until she pulled out what looked like a set of black leathers. “This is more like it,” she nodded approvingly at the clothes in her hands. She had been immensely pleased when she had accidently found her own leathers while wandering around inside the Mord’Sith Temple. The black leathers, which were slightly looser than the red ones she was currently wearing, had clearly been forgotten, so she had hidden them and only went to collect them the night before departing to kidnap Alys. “I’ll just be a second,” she informed the others and went towards the trees looking for a secluded place where she could change. 

“I’ll go with you,” Alys sprinted the small distance until she reached Sarah’s side, grabbing the brunette’s gloved hand.

Sarah was apprehensive about letting Alys come with her. She didn’t want to scare the little girl with the sight of her marked body, but sighed when the blonde clutched more firmly to her hand and pouted up at her; probably sensing the older girl’s reluctance and refusing to stay behind.

“Okay little thing, you can come,” Sarah relented with a resigned sigh, secretly thrilled that Alys was so desperate to stay close to her. It was a feeling she could relate to perfectly. “You can help me get rid of this awful braid; I haven’t been able to blink for days,” Sarah quipped, succeeding in making the small blonde laugh.

“It doesn’t really suit you,” Alys scrunched her nose in disapproval as she observed Sarah. “And stop calling me ‘little thing’, I already told you, _many times_ , that I don’t like it,” she complained, pinching the brunette’s thigh for good measure and grinning when the other girl yelped. 

“Whatever you say, little thing,” Sarah agreed making Alys huff and pulling the blonde into a sideways hug. “We’ll be right back, okay?” the Mord’Sith called over her shoulder while looking pointedly at Cara and smiled as the elder Mord’Sith looked behind her in confusion, to make sure that the girl was actually addressing her as she asked for permission.

“Don’t go too far,” Kahlan advised, not containing her smile as she noticed Cara’s uneasiness about the way Sarah had addressed her.

“Yes mommy,” Alys promised as she skipped away happily next to the brunette Mord’Sith.

“Now that was unexpected,” Zedd exclaimed and let out a low whistle. He observed his remaining companions, noticing how Cara was still looking at the place where the two girls had disappeared with a preoccupied expression. Out of them all, she was the one that was probably the most shocked, and rightly so. Yet, Kahlan was more obviously displaying her agitation, causing Zedd to reconsider as he watched the Confessor nervously squeezing her hands together while staring at the distracted Cara. Zedd sighed as he imagined what must be passing through the brunette’s mind.

“It was,” Richard agreed with his grandfather. “But there’s no denying it, you just have to take a close look at Sarah to see whose daughter she is. The resemblance between them is remarkable,” he noted with a smirk, nodding his head at Kahlan as the brunette turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. The happy tone on the Seeker’s voice sounded odd to Kahlan and the smirk on his face also felt somewhat out of place giving the situation. She sighed tiredly and opted to ignore that; she had already a lot on her mind right now.

Like the Confessor, Zedd also noticed the chipper attitude from Richard. The wizard pursed his lips as he worriedly watched his grandson walk towards the horses, the Seeker’s shoulders seemed to lack the weight that had rested there for the last week. Zedd hoped, for the boy’s sake, that Richard didn’t assume that this meant that Cara and Kahlan wouldn’t last long together. If the irritated pair of green eyes that Zedd could see glaring at Richard’s back in suspicion was any indication, any comment that insinuated such a thing would not be tolerated.

“I’ll burn these bodies before they have a chance to come back,” Zedd suggested, receiving a nod from Kahlan and a blank stare from Cara.

“Since we have four horses now, we should press on to the next town and stay at the inn; no need to unnecessarily spend the night in the open,” Richard called out to the others, squinting her eyes at the brightness of his grandfather’s wizard’s fire. “Zedd and I should scout ahead to make sure there’s no more surprises,” Richard suggested and looked at both women. “Will you two be okay here waiting for the girls?” he asked worriedly and after receiving an affirmative nod from Kahlan, mounted one of the horses and waited for Zedd.

“At least the Mord’Sith came bearing gifts,” the wizard lightly joked, managing to pull a small smile from Kahlan as he finished his previous task and followed his grandson, taking another horse.

After Richard and Zedd had taken off, Kahlan picked up her pack and stared at it with a distant, worried expression. She let out a humorless chuckle as she remembered how she had asked Cara not to let her mind get lost in hypothetical scenarios and here she was, her stomach in knots at the mere thought of Cara ever leaving her.

Kahlan shivered in discomfort, her body seeming to react to her thoughts on its own, but, as if on cue, she felt a warm and gentle hand turn her around and a pair of lips crash against her own, making her whimper in delight and relief. Kahlan clung almost desperately to Cara’s body as she felt the blonde’s arms encircle her firmly as those soft lips passionately assure her that Cara belonged with her.

“You do realize I’m still here, right?” Cara breathlessly whispered against Kahlan’s lips, knowing by recent experience what Kahlan was feeling. “I’m not going anywhere,” she promised to the distraught Confessor and lifted one hand to catch a tear that fell from the blue eyes gazing back at her.

“I know,” Kahlan whispered back and kissed the blonde’s lips again as if to reassure herself. “But I admit that the reminder was very welcomed… and needed,” she sighed and smiled nervously to disperse the tension she felt building up inside her. “This is a little scary,” she added softly as she lowered her head, almost hoping Cara wouldn’t hear.

“There are a lot of things that are scary,” Cara said, lifting Kahlan’s chin and looking deeply into the brunette’s eyes while softly kneading the tense muscles of Kahlan’s lower back with her other hand. “That doesn’t mean we let them rule us,” the blonde declared fiercely.

Kahlan smiled thankfully at Cara and let her forehead rest contentedly against the blonde’s. The Confessor closed her eyes and let herself feel the calming warmth coming from Cara, her tension dissipating as the blonde kept massaging her lower back while tenderly nuzzling Kahlan’s cheek and leaving small kisses there.

“Can we just,” Kahlan trailed off with a heavy exhale, letting her body rest more heavily against Cara’s. This was all she needed right now; she just needed a little quiet time alone with Cara to calm her nerves and recharge her energy to face whatever lay ahead of them and whatever they would find about Sarah.

“For as long as you want,” the blonde confirmed without needing Kahlan to finish her request. She hugged the Confessor more securely against her. Cara would never admit it, but she needed this comforting contact just as much as Kahlan did. She, too, was feeling uneasy about the implications of Sarah’s existence, but she was determined to not let that interfere with her and Kahlan. She wished that the uncertain future was their only obstacle, but Richard’s reaction to Sarah’s appearance did nothing to assuage her worry that he wouldn’t try to come between them. The Mord’Sith let out a deep sigh when she felt Kahlan’s hand bury in her hair gently while Kahlan moved her head to whisper a ‘ _thank you_ ’ in the blonde’s ear, making Cara smile and hug the brunette even closer to her.


	16. Chapter 16

Kahlan sighed and buried her head deeper into the crook of Cara’s neck. The blonde continued to hold her, keeping Kahlan encircled in her arms, as she tried to give the Confessor all the comfort she needed. Kahlan smiled at Cara’s attentive nature, well hidden from others, and placed a small kiss on the blonde’s neck. Moving her hand from golden locks, she pressed it flat against Cara’s chest; the brunette felt the wild thumping underneath her palm that betrayed Cara’s anxious state. Furrowing her eyebrows in concern, Kahlan lifted her head from its warm cocoon and looked questioningly at Cara’s troubled expression as the blonde looked into the distance. 

“Why on earth would I allow any daughter of mine to be trained to be a Mord’Sith?” Cara whispered, sensing Kahlan’s quizzical eyes on her.

“You are a Mord’Sith-“

“ _That’s_ the reason I wouldn’t want her to be broken as well,” Cara interrupted with a perplexed look on her face. Why in the name of the Creator would Kahlan think she would let her own flesh and blood go through the pain she had gone through? Yes, it had made her the strong individual she was today and she was proud of it, but, since meeting Kahlan, Cara had discovered that there were better ways to become a strong person. Those ways may involve pain, suffering and dedication, but they never required torture.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Kahlan said kindly, cupping Cara’s cheek, stroking it with her thumb in a calming gesture. Kahlan easily understood Cara’s worries. It was obvious that the blonde was taken aback by the knowledge that her own daughter might have suffered through the training she, too, had suffered. Kahlan was aware that she could only imagine the horrors that the Mord’Sith trainees had to endure, but Cara knew; Cara knew them in detail, she had experienced them and probably had inflicted the same upon other young girls. “Remember what Sarah said? She said she was born a Mord’Sith, not broken into being one,” Kahlan reminded Cara, recalling what the young girl had said while fighting Garren.

“The girl was clearly taunting Garren. Making her believe that her skills has a Mistress weren’t good enough to break her,” Cara counteracted with a quick look at the dead Mord’Sith and turned to look into Kahlan’s eyes. “I know exactly how Mord’Sith are _born_ , Kahlan,” Cara scoffed sneeringly, looking away from Kahlan again. “They’re born out of pain; _unimaginable_ pain,” the blonde said in a lower voice, disentangling her arms from around Kahlan and starting to turn away from the brunette. “Calling Garren’s breaking ‘torture’ was an insult to Garren’s ability to give the pain of a true breaking, nothing more.”

“See, you know, better than any of us, the dynamics of the Mord’Sith,” Kahlan grabbed Cara’s forearm and turned the worried Mord’Sith back to face her. “So, think. If it was just insulting and bravado, would Sarah have been able to kill the one who was supposed to be her Mistress?”

“No, she probably wouldn’t,” Cara conceded, but, at the triumphant look on Kahlan’s face, she continued. “That only means Garren wasn’t able to re-brake her, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t broken to become a Mord’Sith in the first place.”

“She said she wasn’t used to be stabbed with agiels and-”

“She said she didn’t _enjoy_ it,” Cara corrected, her voice rising sharply. “I don’t like it either, but it doesn’t mean I wasn’t trained that way,” the blonde crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

“ _Trained_ Cara,” Kahlan stressed, shaking Cara a little by her arms in an effort to make the blonde pay more attention to the words. “You say trained, but Sarah said _torture_ ,” the Confessor clarified. Kahlan sighed when Cara just rolled her eyes and looked at the tree line once again.

“Ask her,” Kahlan quietly suggested, watching as Cara stared pensively at the trees. “Ask her how she became a Mord’Sith,” Kahlan repeated when Cara met her eyes, already shaking her head.

“Kahlan, I know exac-”

“Just ask her,” Kahlan insisted, breathing a sigh of relieve when Cara lowered her head in a sign of agreement.

“Zedd!” Alys shouted as she came running out of the trees, startling both women.

“Zedd’s not here sweetie, what’s wrong?” Kahlan rushed towards the child, her hands leaving her dagger hilts as she noticed that Alys had tear marks on her face.

“Sarah’s hurt all over,” Alys explained hurriedly, pointing rapidly to various parts on her own body. “She needs Zedd to fix her,” the blonde looked at her mother with a hopeful look.

“I knew it,” Cara muttered, shaking her head as she turned to retrieve Kahlan’s bag.

“We’ll clean her wounds for now and Zedd can heal her when we catch up with him,” Kahlan assured her daughter, grabbing the child’s hand and walking towards Sarah, knowing that Cara would be right behind her. 

*****

They found Sarah near a small stream, painfully attempting to clean her freshly opened cuts. Cara halted to watch as Kahlan got closer to the brunette Mord’Sith and retrieved a cloth from her bag. The elder Confessor helped Sarah clean her wounds, smiling encouragingly at the girl every time Sarah couldn’t help but wince in pain. Alys quickly gravitated towards the teen, blowing on the brunette’s wounds in a childish attempt of making them hurt less.

Cara felt for the teen; she, herself, was all too familiar with the pain she must be feeling, but by the uncomfortable way Sarah reacted to said pain it was obvious this Mord’Sith was not as familiar with it as Cara would have expected. This detail made Cara think about Kahlan’s theory about the girl been in fact born a Mord’Sith and not tortured into one. Standing behind Kahlan, Cara caught Sarah’s green eyes and decided to do what Kahlan had suggested.

“You told Garren that you were _born_ a Mord’Sith,” Cara started calmly, holding Sarah’s gaze with her own. “Unfortunately there’s a small problem with that - it’s impossible,” the blonde raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Cara, maybe that conversation could wait,” Kahlan hinted, turning to give a slightly reproachful look at the tensed blonde.

Cara looked stubbornly at Kahlan for a second, but after a glance at the wounded teenager and at the worried little blonde asking Kahlan what she could do to make Sarah better, Cara relented with a sigh. Looking at Sarah, Cara’s jaw clenched as her mind raced with hypothetical scenarios that could lead to the girl being broken. With every different scenario, Cara’s frustration at the lack of answers grew, making her patience run low and her anger at the situation increase. Noticing Alys run towards the river to wash the bloodied cloth Kahlan had given her, Cara took the opportunity to address Sarah again.

“Who broke you, Sarah?” Cara asked in a low voice, her hand firmly clenched around her agiel.

“Cara,” Kahlan turned to face the blonde Mord’Sith again, but her renewed plea was interrupted by Cara.

“I need answers, Kahlan,” the blonde said hastily. “For all I know I could have broken my own daughter,” she blurted out unintentionally.

“No! Of that you can be sure,” Sarah quickly reassured. “You didn’t do it, no one did.”

“What do you mean _‘no one did’_?” Cara questioned.

“I can’t tell you much about the future, you know that,” Sarah sighed and looked at Kahlan for help.

“We know that,” Kahlan quickly reassured the distressed teen. “Cara is just worried, as we all are. Having a daughter appear from the future doesn’t happen every day,” Kahlan tried to lighten the mood, seeing that Sarah was clearly torn between doing what Zedd had taught her to be safe and answering all the questions Cara might have for her.

“Yes, you could say it caught me by surprise,” Cara agreed, looking at Sarah and pursing her lips in a small apologetic gesture. The skipping form of Alys approaching them with a clean cloth caught her attention and another detail crossed her mind. “Just tell me this, how come you know Alys so well and you didn’t know that Confessor’s can’t read Mord’Sith,” she asked, hopping that Sarah would at least answer to that simpler question and inadvertently give Cara more information.

“I’m well aware of that, but she obviously lied to me,” she said with a sideways glance at Kahlan. “ _All_ my life I was sure that she could read me,” Sarah continued. “And now, she tells me that she can’t?” the brunette said incredulously, noticing Alys giggling by the corner of her eyes. “I never bothered to try to deceive her because I thought she would have known if I lied and that would make it worse for me whenever I got caught,” Sarah ranted. “And now I discover that I could have gotten away with a lot!” she finished in a huff, clearly very perturbed with this discovery.

“But that makes no sense,” Kahlan started. “Why would I be able to read you?” she questioned, glancing at a very interested Cara beside her.

“Because I’m not an ordinary Mord’Sith,” Sarah said, looking pointedly at Cara, as if to prove something to the blonde.

“That really doesn’t explain much,” Cara said, prompting the teen to elaborate.

“Tough luck, that’s all you’re going to get from me,” she shrugged dismissively, secretly enjoying Cara’s frustration. “How about Alys? Can you read her?” Sarah questioned, changing her attention to Kahlan as the woman kept cleaning her wounds.

“Unfortunately,” Alys sighed disappointedly.

“Of course I can,” Kahlan frowned, looking from one girl to the other “Why wouldn’t I be able to do it?” she asked confusedly. 

“I don’t know,” Sarah shrugged. “I was hopping your powers might be all wonky,” she said lamely. “But alas, they work normally,” she sighed in a similar way to Alys.

“Oh, this is priceless,” Alys said between laughs as she bent with hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

“Did you know she couldn’t read me?” the exasperated young Mord’Sith inquired, turning her head to look suspiciously at the laughing child.

“It did cross my mind once,” Alys sheepishly admitted. “But I didn’t know for sure. _I_ can’t read you, but she’s the Mother Confessor, her power is way bigger than mine, so I assumed that she was able to read you,” Alys explained with an unconcerned shrug.

“That’s what I thought too,” Sarah huffed, throwing her arms up in frustration and wincing at the pain the movement caused. “I never thought she’d _lie_ about it; I always assumed she could do it,” Sarah sighed in defeat, clearly not liking this new found inability of Kahlan’s.

“I’m sorry,” Kahlan apologized sarcastically with a slight chuckle. She couldn’t help but find Sarah’s outburst funny and endearing. The brunette girl was noticeably upset with the notion that Kahlan’s future self had managed to fool her for so long. Kahlan, herself, was uncertain how she had gotten away with it for so long, perhaps because she already knew she could? The Confessor sent a silent apology to her future self, sensing that she probably wrecked some scheme to somehow keep the young Mord’Sith in line. But in the middle of Sarah’s rant one thing was obvious, the Mord’Sith had known Kahlan; known her all her life.

“You’re still worried that I was broken by the Mord’Sith, aren’t you?” Sarah asked suddenly as she looked up at Cara and noticed the distant look that didn’t quite match the crocked smile as the older blonde watched them from behind Kahlan.

Cara tightened her jaw and swallowed under the teen’s surveying look. The empathic way in which Sarah was smiling at her and the unexpected question made her slightly nervous; the teen seemed to be very perceptive at reading her.

“It’s a valid concern,” Cara cleared her throat and looked around, avoiding to meet anyone’s eyes as if that allowed her to hide her emotions. “I know perfectly well what being broken entails; I’m certain that I wouldn’t want that to happen to my own daughter,” she admitted, crossing her arms and still looking everywhere except directly at the three people in front of her, but noticing how the two girls were almost beaming up at her.

“I know… mom,” Sarah said with emotion in her voice, smiling brightly as Cara snapped her head around to look at her and the blonde’s eyes widened in shock when she called her ‘mom’ for the first time. “You don’t have to worry about it; I did train with Mord’Sith, but if they ever tried something like that on me, I’m pretty sure you would hurt them bad,” the teen said with a confident nod.

“There’s something that wouldn’t surprise me,” Kahlan winked at Sarah and got up after finishing cleaning and bandaging the girl’s wounds. Turning around to face Cara, Kahlan placed a gentle hand on the blonde’s crossed arms. “Sometimes talking makes things easier,” she whispered with a smile, squeezing Cara’s forearm affectionately. The blonde Mord’Sith just raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her, but Kahlan could see she had internally recognized the truth of the brunette’s words.

Cara watched as Kahlan knelt next to the stream and washed the blood covered cloth. She relaxed a little now that Sarah had confirmed to not being broken by the Mord’Sith, but that only seemed to assuage Cara’s irrational, emotional, worry for the girl. Intellectually, the blonde was still very suspicious as to how Sarah possessed a kind of power that had only been granted by Lord Rahl, and the ability to withstand the agiels, without having gone through the intensive training of the Mord’Sith.

“It’s not possible for you to have Mord’Sith magic and that kind of pain endurance if you weren’t-“

“Spirits, next time you scold me for being stubborn I’ll just remind you of your twenty-five-year-old self,” Sarah laughed, standing up and reaching for the black leathers she had brought with her. “Just be a little patient, you’ll figure it out in a few years,” the brunette girl mocked, smirking smugly and sharing a conspiratorial wink with Alys.

“Since I’m your mother shouldn’t you show me a little more respect?” Cara admonished, squinting as she eyed Sarah reproachfully. 

Sarah froze for a moment and looked apologetically at Cara. Twenty-five-year-old or not, those words coming from Cara triggered her conditioned response to shut up at her mother’s admonishing tone. Glancing up, Sarah saw a pleasantly surprise Cara smirking at the effect she had on the teen. Rolling her eyes in a fashion almost identical to Cara’s one, Sarah chuckled and began to attempt to pull up her pants.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Kahlan asked Sarah while she walked towards them, shaking her head at the teen’s stubborn attempts of getting into the leather pants without letting on that it was a painful task. “Take off those leathers, they will only hurt you more. I have something you can use until we get to Zedd,” Kahlan kneeled in front of her pack and rummaged through it until she pulled out what she was looking for.

“That’s all you have?” Sarah asked, her nose scrunched up in disapproval while she never-the-less began removing her half-secured pants; although they were not as tight as the red ones, they still didn’t help with the wounds.

“No, but it’s the loosest piece of clothing I have and it won’t hurt you as much as it would to wear the leathers,” Kahlan answered with a smile, amused at Sarah’s obvious distaste for the green dress she hadn’t used in a long time, but still kept in the bottom of her pack. She extended the dress to Sarah and had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing at the teen’s hesitancy.

“Okay,” Sarah relented, taking the dress from Kahlan’s offering hand and nodding her thanks at the Mother Confessor. The dress would be softer on her injuries and, although Sarah didn’t like it, she agreed it was a better choice than the leather. If only Alys would just shut up with the exaggerated mock-awed whispers of ‘so pretty’ and ‘gorgeous’, she could be completely thankful for Kahlan’s dress. Or, she would be, if she were taller. 

“Now you just have to be careful not to drag all the dead leaves on the ground with you,” Cara snorted at the length of the dress and smirked at Sarah’s reddening cheeks. Sarah was just a couple of inches shorter than Cara, which meant that Kahlan’s dress was a little too big on the teen’s frame. 

“Don’t you mind her,” Kahlan said to Sarah while she tightened the leather belt around the teen’s waist. “She’s just jealous,” Kahlan continued, glancing over her shoulder to wink at Cara. “By the looks of it I would say you’re going to be taller than your mother,” Kahlan stated, noticing that the girl still seemed like she wasn’t done growing yet and was already almost Cara’s height.

“We’ll see,” Sarah grinned. 

“Let’s get back to the horses; we have to get to Zedd before those cuts get infected,” Cara ordered, giving Sarah a small smile that the teen returned.

*****

“The D’Haran army is making camp just outside the city, Mother Confessor,” Raina informed as she entered the room. She bowed her head as she stopped at a respectable distance from Kahlan’s Confessor chair, where the brunette sat with a troubled expression that seemed to have taken home in the once relaxed features.

“Thank you, Raina,” Kahlan nodded. “Please make sure to double the guard on the wall,” the Mother Confessor advised. “We won’t attack the Blood of the Fold, but I want the city on high alert and well protected from any surprises.” Kahlan sighed tiredly and watched Raina walk out the door to follow her orders.

“We’ll just stay here and do nothing?” Richard paced back and forth in front of Kahlan. “We should attack the Blood of the Fold; my army can wipe them off the face of the earth,” he stated with rage, his hand grabbing the hilt of the Sword of Truth and a slit of glowing red could be seen where the blade was not fully covered by the scabbard.

“Eratos won’t attack the city,” Kahlan said, recalling the conversation she had had with the leader of the Blood of the Fold. “He admitted that he supports Farkas’s ideas of not letting my daughter succeed me, but he also said that he won’t attack the city or me because he simply doesn’t have too.”

“He’s supporting Farkas in this attempt to take you down,” Richard stopped and looked pointedly at Kahlan. “Isn’t that reason enough to march against him?”

“The only thing that would accomplish is a lot of unnecessary deaths,” Kahlan exhaled slowly. “I have a duty to protect my people,” she understood Richard’s anger in the face of their impotence to actively resolve the situation and she was grateful for his concern, but, unfortunately, a war would not bring back those who she most wanted to see again back to her.

“But he threw Alys into that cursed portal, for all we know she could be dead! And-“ Richard argued but was quickly interrupted by Kahlan.

“Don’t think for a second that I forgot about that, Richard,” Kahlan gripped the arms of the chair in a vice like grip, her voice trembling with barely kept emotion and her eyes filling with unshed tears.

“Mind your words, Richard! Or you risk sending her back into the Con Dar,” Zedd hissed urgently, glancing at Kahlan to make sure the deep breaths she was taking were having the desired effect of calming the Confessor down. “Farkas is the one responsible for all of this, but we still don’t have a way to get to him,” the wizard reminded. “You’re doing the right thing, Kahlan,” Zedd reassured, his gaze returning to the window and focusing on the distance. “A war now would only bring death to Aydindril and it wouldn’t prevent Farkas from carrying out the rest of his plan,” he frowned and turned to survey his still angry grandson. “The Blood of the Fold won’t attack us because they trust that Farkas will succeed in his mission.”

“We have to find a way to stop that crazy wizard from killing Kahlan in the past,” Richard insisted, although his voice took on a softer tone as he looked regretfully at Kahlan as the Confessor moved to join Zedd next to the window. “How come Kahlan doesn’t remember what happened in the past? I’m sure she would recall being attacked by a wizard from the future,” Richard pointed out, looking expectantly at Zedd and noticing Kahlan do the same.

“She might not even know the wizard was from the future. Someone must have whipped her memory for some reason,” the wizard mused. “I see no other explanation for you not remembering anything, my dear,” he said turning to Kahlan as the Confessor sighed in frustration.

“Then there’s nothing we can do?” Kahlan asked tiredly, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose while she raked her brain once again for a way out of this predicament.

“Maybe there’s something,” Zedd said cryptically and looked at Kahlan. “Farkas wants the leadership of the Midlands to himself. It makes no sense for him to kill you when there are other Confessors who can take your place as Mother Confessor,” seeing the understanding starting to appear in the other two faces, he continued. “I’m certain that he will let all the events that caused the death of the rest of the Confessors happen and he will travel to the time right after that; when we were looking for the Stone of Tears, before you got to Aydindril.” 

“So maybe our past selves can stop him,” Richard nodded, letting a hopeful smile soften his features. He approached Kahlan and squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture.

“Let’s hope so,” Kahlan squeezed Richard’s hand back before letting it go and turning her eyes to the army outside the city gates.

Kahlan really hoped that Zedd was right about this and that their past selves found a way to stop Farkas from achieving his goal. She just hoped that they would also find a way to bring both of the girls back. Even if Kahlan swallowed her sob, she couldn’t stop the tears burning as she closed her eyes.

*****

Richard walked through the city in the direction of the inn, briefly pausing once in a while to acknowledge the gratitude of the townspeople for their Seeker. He and Zedd had pushed their mounts hard to reach the city before nightfall and had managed to arrive a little before sundown. Looking up at the orange tinted sky, he calculated that the girls would probably be arriving in a little while. The smell of roasted lamb reached his nose and he smiled as, sure enough, a building close by had a sign that identified it as the inn. Zedd had left him at the stables to tend to the horses, while quickly mumbling something about securing a table and walking briskly to find the town’s inn.

As expected, the Seeker found Zedd sitting at a table in the company of big plate of roasted lamb, as well as various fruits, cheese, bread, and what was most likely a pitcher of ale. The food was not the only company the wizard had; sitting next to him was an old man dressed in similar robs to Zedd’s.

“Here’s my boy,” Zedd said happily, pointing with a half-eaten piece of meat at the approaching Seeker. “Richard, I want you to meet Baronis, a good friend of mine and a Wizard of the Second Order,” he introduced the man seated beside him to his grandson as Baronis put down his food to greet the Seeker. Richard clasped Baronis forearm in greeting and took a seat at the table.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Richard smiled and helped himself of a portion of the appetizing lamb.

“The pleasure of meeting the Seeker of Truth is all mine,” Baronis replied with a nod. “It gives me the opportunity to thank you in person for finally taking down that tyrant Darken Rahl,” the old wizard said effusively, his clenched jaw displayed how much he had despised the man.

“Baronis had a personal grudge against Darken Rahl,” Zedd supplied, glancing at his friend to make sure he wanted to share that story. After a slight nod from the other wizard, Zedd continue. “He was captured by Rahl years ago and kept prisoner by the Mord’Sith for a long time, until you defeated him and in the midst of the the power struggle among the Mord’Sith we was able to slip free,” Zedd told Richard, as Baronis nodded somberly, probably reviving those awful times. 

“Why did Darken Rahl capture you?” Richard questioned curiously. “It’s not like he didn’t have wizards at his disposal.”

“That’s what I was about to tell your grandfather,” Baronis said and took a healthy gulp from his cup. “He wanted my expertise with spells, so that I could try to master what his wizards had no succeeded in achieving,” at his companions inquiring gazes, Baronis continued. “Darken Rahl, using a threat against my family as persuasion, wanted me to master a spell that allowed the children of all his Mord’Sith to be born with their mother’s powers.”

“You wouldn’t be able to spell a Mord’Sith, they would be immune to your magic,” Zedd paused in his compulsive eating to muse about his friend’s revelation. “Not to mention that I had never heard such a spell even being theorized before,” the wizard looked at Baronis for clarification. 

“Neither did I, my old friend,” Baronis shook his head. “But Darken Rahl found his father’s private journals. The problem was that they weren’t complete so he needed someone well versed in magic to study them and figure out what was missing. It was not quite a spell, more of an incantation, an invocation of old power; allied to the fact that Rahl performed the ritual himself, that probably made the Mord’Sith more vulnerable to it,” the wizard looked at Zedd’s surprised face. “It looks like old Panis didn’t share everything with you,” he pointed out knowingly, watching as Zedd it shook his head in realization. 

“So, Darken Rahl wanted children to be born with Mord’Sith power to what purpose exactly? It would be easier and safer for him to break children to become Mord’Sith; that would not only give them their power but ensure their loyalty to Rahl,” Richard asked with a distant look; his mind clearly was considering more than just Darken Rahl’s attempts to breed an army of Mord’Sith.

“He wanted a son, who would already have inherited his magic, to also have the ability of being immune to others magic. Trait he would have gotten from a Mord’Sith mother with the help of the incantation,” Baronis clarified, picking up a piece of cheese to go with his bread as Richard and Zedd shared a look that silently agreed that this was certainly something Darken Rahl would attempt to do.

“That would certainly increase personal protection against magical attacks,” Zedd agreed with a nod, the meat in his hand forgotten at the gravity of the prospect.

“Did you succeed? Did you manage to make the ritual work?” Richard asked urgently, the cogs in his head turning rapidly.

“I think I did,” Baronis said to the others astonishment. “Rahl performed the ritual on a lot of Mord’Sith; the first attempts were fruitless, but then one of the children showed signs of having Mord’Sith powers,” he paused briefly to gulp more ale. “You see, the newborns were taken away from their mother at birth, after telling them that the baby had died, and kept hidden to see if they would eventually show any signs of power. Darken Rahl himself would torture the poor children with magical attacks to see if they would deflect them instinctively,” he swallowed at the horrors he had witnessed. “The poor innocents never stood a chance; they all eventually died at a young age. Except for one girl; at the tender age of three she managed to deflect one of her father’s attacks. The poor thing got her hands burned almost to the bone and blacked out for days after; but she lived.”

“What happened to this girl?” Richard questioned; the food completely forgotten by now as his mind conjured the image of Alys’s burned hands after the child deflected Farkas attack.

“I have no idea,” Baronis shrugged, fingering the lip of his cup. “Once she woke up, almost three days later, Darken Rahl sent her away to one of the Mord’Sith temples, but I know nothing more about it,” he shook his head apologetically.

“Were there any more gifted children?” Zedd asked, noticing Richard’s increasing agitated state.

“Not that I know of,” Baronis took a calming sip from his mug. “I do know that there were still children kept prisoners, one of them was a boy, but I don’t know if any of them had any power. Or even if they survived.”

“This spell, or incantation, only serves to put the mother’s powers in the child? Whatever power the mother might have?” Richard questioned. “Or does it allow other… uncommon things,” he asked vaguely, sharing a knowing look with Zedd.

“I’m not sure of what exactly you’re referring too, but from what I was allowed to see, Panis Rahl had quite an extensive collection of powerful and rare spells,” Baronis recalled. “I was only allowed to have full access to the one I was using, but I remember noticing a vast number of scrolls safely guarded in the Rahl library.”

“So, there could be other powerful spells no one ever heard off for a long time kept in the People’s Palace?” Zedd supposed and Baronis just nodded his agreement.

Sharing one more knowing look with his grandfather, Richard picked up his previously forgotten food and started to eat while letting his mind mull over the information he had. Sarah’s claim that she had been born a Mord’Sith was one of the first things in his mind; perhaps the notion was not so disbelieving anymore since Baronis had confirmed its possibility. But how would Cara been subject to such a spell now that Darken Rahl was dead? Since Baronis believed in the existence of many more rare spells, could a similar spell be the source of Alys’s unexpected powers? These questions and many more were surely to plague his Seeker mind until he found the answers, of that Richard was certain.

*****

The sun had already set over a candle mark ago when they arrived at the city. Cara maneuvered the horse through the gates, which had opened welcomingly to admit the Mother Confessor. Looking to her side, Cara noticed Sarah and Alys looking curiously around the city, pointing things to each other and noticing the differences between the city now and the one they most likely knew in the future.

Stopping the horse in front of the stable, Cara let Kahlan dismount first before doing so herself. The blonde grabbed the coin purse and beckoned the stable keeper to pay him for lodging their horses. The man refused the payment, saying that he would never charge the Mother Confessor or the Seeker for his services and opened the stable door so that they could lead the horses inside. Knowing that it was useless to argue, Cara put the coin purse back on her backpack and took the reigns to get the horse inside, closely followed by Kahlan, Alys and Sarah, who was leading her horse inside. 

“Richard and Zedd are here,” Kahlan commented, pointing to the other two black horses already inside two different stalls.

Cara just nodded and started to unload their back packs from the horse when a chuckle from Kahlan caught her attention. The Confessor was looking amusedly at the two other girls. Joining Kahlan, the blonde snorted as Alys was pulling insistently on Sarah’s dress to get the older girl attention as she fired question after question about Sarah’s time in the Mord’Sith temple.

“Do they fight a lot?” Alys asked.

“Constantly,” Sarah sighed, with a roll of her eyes.

“Are they mean?” the blonde continued.

“Not the most pleasant company I ever had,” the teen shook her head, her attention still on rummaging through the saddlebags.

“Do they have slaves?” Alys questioned with distaste.

“Lamentably, yes,” Sarah nodded with a sigh.

“Is it true that they bath all together?” Alys asked curiously with wide eyes, her hands clutching the teens dress as the brunette girl released the saddlebags from the horse.

“What?” Sarah said perplexed, snapping her head around to look finally down at Alys. “How do you know about that?” she asked as her voice got an octave higher.

“I overheard Raina talking to Berdine back home,” Alys answered dismissively. “So, it is true then?” she insisted, bringing the discussion to what she really wanted to know.

“Yes,” Sarah confirmed reluctantly, glancing over her shoulder and noticing that Kahlan and Cara were listening to their conversation, the later with a slightly suspicious look on her face.

“And…” Alys prompted, given the young Mord’Sith’s reticence in developing the topic. “Did you bath there too?” she looked up at Sarah with eyes wide with curiosity to know more about something she clearly had only heard rumors and whispered conversations about.

“I had no other choice, did I?” Sarah said defensively, now only pretending to be busy with the saddlebag so that she could avoid Alys’s eyes.

“Was it weird?” Alys inquired with child like enthusiasm.

“It was very distracting…” Sarah said before she could stop herself. The teen risked another glance behind her and blushed when she caught the knowing look on Cara’s face.

“Why distracting?” Alys frowned in confusion as to why would a simple bath be distracting.

“Because…. Well, you see,” Sarah stuttered and shifted awkwardly, her brain failing to come up with an explanation to her previous answer that would be fit for the young girl’s ears. She turned around and flushed even more as she noticed that the two women had certainly caught on to the reasons why bathing with multiple women had been so distracting for her. “It’s distracting because there are a lot of them there, at the same time, in the bath, bathing and… stuff,” Sarah stuttered nervously, clearing her throat and finding the ground very interesting to look at. “And I had to keep having to look over my shoulder and stay alert because I could be, uh, attacked at any moment.”

“You had to keep your eyes on them,” Alys said innocently, nodding.

“Yep, that was kind of inevitable,” Sarah sighed and scratched her head nervously.

“It seems to me that you were the one who wanted to _attack_ them,” Cara mocked with a teasing smirk, taking this opportunity to make Sarah squirm in embarrassment and receiving a slightly admonished look from Kahlan.

“Who said I didn’t?” Sarah shot back with an almost identical smug expression.

“You attacked them in the bath unarmed?” Alys said incredulously. “Wasn’t that a little risky?”

“Certainly, riskier than they could imagine,” Sarah said mysteriously, making Cara frown her eyebrows in suspicion.

“You are so getting grounded when we get home,” Alys scolded with her hands on her hips and shaking her head while she looked the other girl up and down.

“I’m surprised she’s even alive to get home in the first place,” Cara said pensively, approaching Sarah as she spoke. “Somehow you managed to survive Mord’Sith training, without being broken, and you played them to gain their trust,” Cara paused thoughtfully. “What you did was very dangerous, but I have to admit it’s pretty impressive,” Cara admitted.

“You just make sure you remember you said that, okay?” Sarah pleaded Cara with a very serious face.

“She might remember it, but that won’t prevent her from biting your head off,” Alys reminded the brunette. “She will be crazy mad at you for pulling a stunt like that with Mord’Sith,” Alys mused about what she thought would be Cara’s reaction in the future.

“You do realize you’re not helping me, right?” Sarah scowled at the child, who just grinned in turn.

“It was a very dangerous thing to do and let’s not forget that you _did_ get hurt,” Kahlan reminded as she walked towards Sarah. “It was also very brave,” Kahlan tucked Sarah’s dark hair behind the girl’s ear and smiled when the teen grinned proudly at her.

“Can we please find Zedd now?” Sarah asked as her smile faded. “I would love to get rid of this pain,” she rolled her shoulders and pulled the dress away from her skin in order to alleviate the sting provoked by the friction of the fabric. “And get back into my leathers,” she huffed.

“Go ahead while we get what we need from the saddlebags; Zedd’s most definitely at the inn stuffing his face,” Cara nodded in the direction of the barn door. “Take Alys with you. Do not stop until you get to the inn, don’t talk to anyone and don’t attract attention to yourselves,” Cara advised, pinning both girls with a serious stare.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m planning on taking full advantage of walking around without being recognized by anyone,” Sara laughed, taking Alys’s hand. “It’s very freeing,” she added, receiving an effusive nod from the blonde child.

Cara watched the two girls walk out of the stable with a pensive look. While she was hearing the talk between Alys and Sarah, and even thought the blonde child was talking very quickly in her haste to get information, there was something Alys said that caught Cara’s attention.

“Something wrong?” Kahlan asked softly, placing a hand on the small of Cara’s back when she noticed the rigid stance of the blonde.

“Names,” Cara simply said, turning around to face Kahlan. “Alys mentioned that she ‘ _overheard Raina and Berdine talking back home_ ,’” Cara emphasized the words she had heard Alys say only moments before.

“Do you know them?” Kahlan questioned, letting her hand slide from Cara’s back to her leather covered stomach.

“Assuming Alys was talking about the same ones I know, they’re both Mord’Sith,” the blonde revealed, studying Kahlan’s eyes for a reaction. “They were trained with me and we served together for many years,” Cara added, watching Kahlan connect the dots in her mind.

“Looks like Aydindril will be a lot friendlier to Mord’Sith in the future,” Kahlan smiled, lifting her hand to smooth the frown on Cara’s face with the pad of her thumb. “What’s wrong?” the Confessor asked, noticing Cara’s tensed posture and the way she kept darting her eyes around.

“Besides the fact that apparently, I have a daughter who’s a Mord’Sith and that two of my former Sisters seem to be familiar with your daughter, judging by the casual way Alys mentioned them?” Cara shrugged her shoulders, somehow making the gesture look sarcastic. “What could possibly be wrong?”

“I’m sure if those Mord’Sith are in Aydindril it’s because they’re to be trusted. I may not know what will happen, but I’m sure I would never jeopardize my daughter’s safety,” Kahlan said with certainty. “And if you’re worried about raising a child, I think you should give more credit to yourself,” the Confessor smiled tenderly and placed a soft kiss on Cara’s lips. “Are you sure there’s nothing else bothering you?” Kahlan prompted softly, searching the green eyes.

Kahlan suspected that there was something else bothering Cara. The blonde was right, she did have a lot to be worried about and Kahlan was too, but this seemed to be something more.

Cara looked startled. She quickly hid it beneath a mask of indifference, but not quickly enough for Kahlan to have missed it.

“No, I’m fine,” Cara shrugged, avoiding Kahlan’s gaze. “But you just wait; I’m sure we’ll end up finding more things that are _wrong_ ,” Cara snorted, sidestepping Kahlan and walking back towards the horses.

“Cara,” Kahlan caught the blonde’s wrist before she got out of her reach. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” Kahlan assured gently, not fooled by Cara’s attempt at dismissing what was bothering her and Kahlan’s concern, both.

“It’s nothing important,” Cara shrugged, catching Kahlan’s hand and pulling the Confessor into her arms. “Just something Sarah made me remember from a long time ago,” she sighed and smiled faintly at Kahlan, silently grateful for the Confessor’s patience with her.

Kahlan nodded in acknowledgment and kissed the blonde’s lips tenderly, lingering when Cara’s arms closed around her waist to bring her closer. Although she wanted to, Kahlan knew better than to insist with Cara; she would have to wait until the Mord’Sith was ready. Relaxing into the other woman as Cara’s arms snaked around her back, Kahlan had to marvel at the progress of Cara’s ability to share emotions. If they had had this conversation months ago, then the closed off Mord’Sith would have never even admitted to her that something was bothering her. Now, Kahlan had to respect the other woman’s slow pace; she would push the issue again, just not now. 

“I felt bad for Sarah,” Kahlan chuckled after ending their kiss with a final soft peck and pulling away. “The poor thing was so uncomfortable while talking about the baths at the temple,” shaking her head in amusement, Kahlan circled Cara and went back to inspect the saddlebags for useful items.

“She was right,” Cara said, approaching Kahlan from behind and moving her lips to whisper in the Confessor’s ear. “Bathing in a Mord’Sith temple can be very distracting,” she said in a seductive tone, noticing pleased how Kahlan’s breath caught.

“How could a bath be distracting?” Kahlan asked feigning ignorance. She knew very well what happened in those baths, but she was enjoying Cara’s playfully seductive game.

“Maybe it’s the water,” Cara started nonchalantly. “The feeling of warm water surrounding you,” she said huskily, while moving her hands to flatten against Kahlan’s lower back and then sliding them slowly around the Confessor’s waist to hug the brunette’s body against her own, molding her front to Kahlan’s back. “Or the hot steam rising around you; making your sight blurred and your breath heavy,” she breathed a puff of hot air on Kahlan’s exposed neck, watching with a smirk as goosebumps erupted on the soft and creamy skin.

Kahlan gasped and pressed back against Cara’s firm body; the blonde’s words having a hypnotizing effect on her senses. She gripped the flap of the saddlebag tightly, struggling to keep her knees from buckling as her body seemed to react to Cara’s words as if she was caught in the sensations the Mord’Sith was describing. As her breathing grew heavier, Kahlan blinked in an effort to get out of the haze Cara was inducing, but her resolve quickly faded when the blonde nibbled teasingly in her earlobe.

“Or maybe it has something to do with the warm wetness on your skin,” Cara continued her musings and licked a wet path up the side of Kahlan’s neck. “It makes your body shiver with the smallest of breezes,” Cara whispered hotly, blowing gently over the wet trail she left on Kahlan’s sensitive skin and hearing the Confessor whimper and tremble in her arms. “Do you think that could be it?” Cara asked, scraping her teeth on the juncture of the brunette’s neck and shoulder and making Kahlan release a strangled moan.

“I think the main distraction is the company,” Kahlan breathed with a smile, her body sinking back perfectly onto Cara’s. “Mord’Sith can be very distracting when they want,” the brunette said huskily, turning her head to meet Cara’s parted lips with her own in a hungry kiss. 

Cara kept one arm around Kahlan’s waist, holding the brunette up, and moved the other to cup the Confessor’s cheek and encourage her to deepen the kiss. She felt Kahlan’s fingers tangle in her blonde hair while the other hand moved to press on the back of Cara’s; still firmly on the Confessor’s stomach.

“Let’s continue this discussion in our room, after dinner,” Kahlan suggested with a glint in her eyes. “We better get our things and go meet the others now,” she continued in between kisses as Cara seemed to be having difficulty to separate her lips from Kahlan’s.

“Okay,” the Mord’Sith finally relented, not before sighing deeply, just to make sure that Kahlan knew she would much rather go directly to the room waiting for them at the inn. Releasing her hold on Kahlan, the blonde turned around to attend to Sarah and Alys’s horse.

“Good girl,” Kahlan quipped with a grin and reflexively side-stepped Cara’s hand as the blonde swatted blindly back at her.

“Don’t be so sure of that, Mother Confessor,” Cara suggestively said over her shoulder, making sure her hungry eyes roomed up Kahlan’s body and ending on the brunette’s flushed cheeks; with one last wink Cara turned her attention back to the task at hand.

Kahlan couldn’t have taken away the silly smile off her face if her life depended on it, but, for now, she was content to let it stay in place as she gathered her things to go meet the others at the inn.


	17. Chapter 17

Sarah sat at the inn table eagerly munching on a slice of bread with cheese; the food being very much appreciated after the eventful day she had had. Zedd had already done a wonderful job of healing all her wounds and she had gone to hers and Alys’s room to change from Kahlan’s dress to her more fitting black leathers. 

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Kahlan asked as she approached the table, placing a hand on Sarah’s shoulder and sitting next to the teen.

“Much better now,” Sarah grinned, visibly pleased with Kahlan’s use of the term of endearment and moving her arms experimentally to prove the lack of pain.

“Zedd comes in handy once in a while,” Cara drawled, taking a seat opposite Kahlan and smirking at Zedd’s indignant expression. “Tomorrow I’ll take you to a tailor to get that fixed,” the blonde pointed to Sarah’s shoulder were the gash Kahlan’s dagger had cut on the leather was clearly visible.

“Okay mom,” Sarah answered absentmindedly looking at her plate and missing Cara’s nervous look, still not accustomed to be addressed like that.

“I’m sorry about that,” Kahlan moved her hand to the gash on the leathers. “I thought-“

“I know, don’t worry,” Sarah quickly assured Kahlan with a warm smile. “Besides, I intend to take advantage of it,” she shared deviously, grinning as the others laughed while Kahlan just shook her head fondly at the teen’s obvious intention of holding the incident against her future self.

“Sarah was just telling us about her morphing weapons,” Richard interrupted with a smile as the teen nodded. “I had never seen agiels like that,” he said, looking to his left with questioning eyes, silently asking Cara for her opinion.

“Neither have I,” the blonde shook her head at Richard. “Where did you get them anyway?” she directed her question to her daughter.

“They were normal agiels before,” Sarah shrugged, picking up an apple. “I always loved the staff as a weapon but I like the agiels too, so Zedd combined the best of both as a birthday present,” she grinned at the wizard who was smiling fondly at her.

“You’re not bad with them,” Cara complimented in her own way, picking up the plate with the roasted lamb and offering it to Kahlan before she served herself.

“I’m pretty good, considering that I had you earlier,” Sarah grinned smugly.

“You didn’t _have me_ ,” Cara raised a competitive eyebrow and stared at the still grinning green-eyed brunette. “You just managed to deliver a lucky blow,” she sniffed proudly, refusing to admit that Sarah had indeed get successfully under her defenses.

“Don’t be so upset, mom,” Sarah patted Cara’s gloved hand in a playfully soothing gesture. “You’ll get better,” she reassured mockingly, squeezing Cara’s hand for god measure.

“The nerve of the girl,” Cara scoffed, sliding her hand from under Sarah’s and slapping the girl’s hand away. “We’ll have a sparring session tomorrow then, to see if you’re as good as you proclaim to be,” Cara promised while the laughter around the table continued. She was actually really interested to test Sarah’s skills; the small demonstration she had earlier was testimony that the girl was indeed capable.

“I look forward to see you beat Cara, my child,” Zedd said, now his turn to be pleased by the dirty look the blonde was shooting his way. “But for now, why don’t you tell us all you know about Farkas,” he suggested, ending the playful banter and turning the conversation to more pressing matters.

“He wants to be Aydindril’s ruler,” Sarah explained, looking at Kahlan. “He tried to demand it at first, listing a series of motives which the most pertinent is that he doesn’t want a ‘freak’ ruling the Midlands,” she sighed, trading a meaningful look with Alys and seeing the child roll her eyes in annoyance.

“Freak?” Kahlan repeated flabbergasted. “Confessors always ruled in Aydindril, I can’t see why people would change their minds about my capability to be in charge of the Midlands,” she shook her head in disbelief.

“Well, the problem is not so much with you, but with the next generation,” Sarah clarified. “As you might have noticed already, the next generation of Confessor’s has other powers beyond those of confession and reading the truth in people,” she pointedly looked at Alys.

“When Farkas caught up with us days ago he attacked _me_ ,” Kahlan informed Sarah, who narrowed her eyes deep in thought. “Why not attack Alys directly?”

“Because he wants to cut the problem from the root,” Richard supposed. “By killing you, and probably your sister, before you’re pregnant with Alys he makes sure no other Confessor lives. That’s probably why he came back to the past, to get to you outside the well protected walls of Aydindril and when you have no idea who he is and what his intentions are,” he finished, looking around the table to see what everyone else thought about his line of thinking.

“That’s sounds like something the coward would do,” Sarah said through her clenched teeth.

Kahlan pondered Richard’s hypothesis and she was more than inclined to agree with him; it made perfect sense and it was a solid plan from the wizard. What he surely hadn’t count on was Alys meeting with them and messing up with his plans.

“It sounds plausible to me,” Cara nodded at Kahlan. “What about any allies Farkas may have?” the blonde asked Sarah.

“The Blood of the Fold support him,” Sarah said, hearing Kahlan chuckle humorlessly beside her. “I think they were preparing for a war, but it was always strange, the fact that they seemed to hold back for some reason.”

“Looks to me that the reason is Farkas succeeding in his mission,” Zedd joined in, pealing an apple for Alys.

“Don’t worry, mommy,” Alys said as she got up and went to Kahlan. “We’ll protect you,” the little girl promised, climbing on Kahlan’s lap and giving a tight hug to the older Confessor.

“Aww, sweetie, thank you,” Kahlan coed, hugging her daughter back and kissing the top of the blonde’s head.

“What’s wrong, Sarah?” Cara questioned as she noticed the teen suddenly look down at her plate with a constricted expression.

“Nothing’s wrong,” the brunette Mord’Sith mumbled as she got up and stormed out the inn.

Before Sarah could flee, Kahlan noticed concernedly the unshed tears in the teen’s eyes. She looked around the table to be met with confused expressions and let her gaze rest on a preoccupied Cara following Sarah’s quick escape with her eyes.

“Let me go see,” Kahlan trailed off as Cara looked at her and nodded gratefully.

“I’ll go too,” Alys quickly added, getting off Kahlan’s lap.

“No honey, why don’t you wait here for a minute and let me talk with Sarah a little first,” Kahlan proposed, looking down at the worried child.

“Come here kiddo,” Cara extended an inviting hand to Alys which the girl reluctantly took and sat down next to Cara. “You better eat the apple Zedd has so masterfully carved or else he’ll cry like a little girl,” Cara’s jab at Zedd hit both intended goals, mocking the wizard and distracting a now giggling Alys.

With a quick wink at Alys and a smile at Cara, Kahlan went after the distraught teen. Once outside the inn, the Confessor squinted her eyes in the moon light to scan the nearest surroundings for Sarah. Fortunately, she found the girl slumped on a stone bench a couple of houses down the road.

“What’s bothering you, sweetie?” Kahlan asked softly as she sat next to Sarah, hoping that the term of endearment would relax the girl into talking to her.

“Nothing,” the teen shrugged and turned away from Kahlan.

“Then why are you crying?” Kahlan insisted gently, hearing the sniffling sounds the girl was trying to keep quiet.

“I’m not,” the stubborn Mord’Sith replied and Kahlan had to shake her head slightly at how much the girl resemble Cara right now.

“Sarah, please look at me,” Kahlan asked, placing one hand on the teen’s arm and gently turning the girl to look at her.

Pleased that Sarah didn’t pose any resistance, Kahlan reached for the teen’s chin to lift Sarah’s eyes towards her own. Kahlan’s heart sunk at the tears silently falling down the girl’s face. Without really noticing it, the Confessor pulled Sarah into a comforting hug; one that the teen gladly returned, soaking up every bit of comfort Kahlan had to offer.

“Whatever it is I’m sure it’s going to be okay,” Kahlan whispered reassuringly, but for some reason her chest grew heavy with concern. “Why don’t you tell me? Maybe we can help,” Kahlan insisted, stroking Sarah’s long dark hair that Kahlan now noticed was a little wavy in a fashion very similar to her own.

“You will help,” Sarah nodded into the crook of Kahlan’s neck. “Everything is going to be fine once Alys and I get back to the future,” the teen sniffled, making no move to leave the Confessor’s arms. “Everything _has_ to be fine.”

“Okay, honey,” Kahlan gave up on discovering what was making Sarah this upset. “But know that I’m here if you need to talk,” Kahlan told the now calmer girl, feeling Sarah once again nod her understanding.

“Do you mind if we just stay here a little longer?” Sarah asked, lifting her head to look at Kahlan’s worried eyes. “I don’t want Alys to notice that I cried,” the teen explained, wiping furiously at her tears as if mad that she had let them fall in the first place.

“We’ll stay as long as you need,” Kahlan halted Sarah’s hands and substituted them with her gentler ones. “Alys really looks up to you, doesn’t she?” Kahlan smiled.

“She does,” Sarah nodded with a small smile and sniffled. “She also worries a lot; she’s still little, I don’t want to burden her unnecessarily,” she shrugged.

“You also don’t want to burden us,” Kahlan stated, guessing that part of the reason Sarah won’t talk to her is because the girl had already found a way to fix whatever was wrong and didn’t want them to be upset with it.

“I…” Sarah trailed off sheepishly, looking up at Kahlan and shrugging meekly as if confirming the Confessor’s words. “I honestly don’t want to talk about it; it will be fine, trust me,” she said more firmly.

Kahlan sighed and nodded, bringing Sarah’s head to rest on her shoulder once more. She had to smile at how much she could see of Cara’s selflessness on Sarah’s attitude. The blonde Mord’Sith also preferred to suffer in silent than to share her worries with another; it still took Kahlan some effort to get something out of Cara. Looking down at the pensive girl in her arms, Kahlan wondered again what the girl was hiding; she wished she could do more for her, but the young Mord’Sith seemed to be content with Kahlan’s comfort hug alone. She guessed that for now it was the only thing Sarah needed.

*****

“Cara,” Richard said to get the attention of the Mord’Sith sitting next to him. “A wizard, friend of Zedd’s, was here earlier with us and he told us some interesting things,” he started, noticing Cara protectively picking Alys up and sitting the girl between them, certainly so that Cara could look at him and have the girl in her line of sight too.

“Care to share,” the blonde prompted carefully, noticing the wrinkles on Richard’s forehead that usually meant that what he was about to say was either bad or potentially bad.

“He was Darken Rahl’s prisoner for many years and the reason he was abducted was to master a spell for Rahl,” Richard retold what Baronis had said to them and the familiarity he had acquired with Cara allowing him to see the almost imperceptible apprehension on the blonde’s stoic face. “The spell was meant to give Mord’Sith powers to the Mord’Sith’s sons or daughters,” he revealed, noticing how Cara’s eyebrows rose in shocked recognition, confirming his suspicions.

“You know of this,” Zedd stated, he too noticing how Cara went slightly pale and instinctively moved one hand to grip the comforting agiel at her waist.

“I didn’t know it was for that,” Cara swallowed, her eyes distant with memories. “I remember Darken Rahl performing some kind of incantation on every Mord’Sith that got pregnant; he said it was for protection,” she said, lifting a sleepy Alys to her lap because the girl was resting heavily against her side.

“He was lying,” Richard spat, his eyes shining with the prospect of Cara knowing more information about his late brother’s plans. “He made Baronis master the ritual, the one used on the pregnant Mord’Sith. Then he imprisoned the children and tortured them with magic in the hopes they would deflect it, hence showing that the incantation worked,” the Seeker said angrily, but careful to not rise his voice and disturb the slumbering Alys.

Cara visibly flinched when Richard told her what had happened to those children, a reaction that didn’t go unnoticed by the other two men who exchanged a worried look; Cara was not one to flinch lightly.

“Where are those kids now?” the Mord’Sith asked in a strangled voice, looking down at the sleeping child in her arms.

“Baronis said that most of them died,” Zedd supplied, inspecting closely the blonde’s reaction. “But he suspects that before he escaped, Darken Rahl still had a few made prisoners, one of them was a boy,” Zedd concluded, frowning when Cara clenched her jaw and stared at the table with an intensity that had him half expecting to find a hole appear in the wood.

“I was also thinking about what Sarah said earlier,” Richard added, he too concerned about the blonde’s reaction. “She said she was born a Mord’Sith; maybe this incantation was used on you,” he shared his thoughts about the strange declaration that had nagged on his mind since Sarah said it.

“That’s a question you should ask Sarah, don’t you think?” Cara said dismissively and moved to get up from the table. “Perhaps we should continue this conversation tomorrow, I’d better get Alys to bed,” the Mord’Sith suggested while getting up carefully as not to disturb the slumbering girl.

“Okay, we’ll talk about this tomorrow,” Richard assented. “I took the liberty of booking one bedroom for the girls and one to you and Kahlan,” he said not quite meeting her eyes while extending two keys to Cara.

“Thank you,” Cara said simply, grabbing the keys. Richard was clearly trying to be okay with the mention of her and Kahlan in the same room, but Cara could see that the implications of it still bothered the Seeker. Nonetheless, she recognized and appreciated the effort he was making to be completely okay with the new relationship between her and the brunette. With a slight nod Zedd’s way, Cara walked towards the steps that lead to the upper floor, where the rooms were located.

“I got the impression she knows more than she shared,” Richard mused out loud while watching Cara get up the stairs with a sleeping Alys in her arms.

“Hmm,” Zedd agreed wordlessly. “Whatever it is, it’s most certainly a personal matter. Let Cara take her time, she would never hide important information from us,” he advised.

“I know that,” Richard looked pointedly back at Zedd, as if surprised his grandfather would ever consider that he thought Cara would knowingly hide something important. “I’m just worried about her; the conversation definitely triggered something,” he mused, turning back to look pensively at the stairs where Cara had disappeared.

Zedd smiled at his grandson as Richard looked concernedly towards the stairs. Even if the woman, in a way, robbed him of his loved one, their friendship was certainly still there, they both only need some time to rekindle their previous bond. Zed was sure that they would eventually get there.

*****

Cara opened the door of what was Sarah’s and Alys’s bedroom and made a quick inspection of the room before entering. She didn’t want to take any chances, especially when she had Alys with her. Entering and kicking the door close behind her, the older blonde placed the little girl on the bed, chuckling softly when Alys just mumbled something unintelligible and nuzzled the pillow underneath her head. Spotting the backpacks next to the bed, she looked for something more comfortable that she could change Alys into. Finding the small linen shirt, the family that had helped Alys insisted the girl kept, Cara busied herself in carefully undressing the slumbering child.

“Nooo, I want to sleep more,” Alys whined with a scrunched-up nose and eyes tightly closed.

“Let me just change your clothes and then you can go back to sleep again,” Cara pulled Alys’s arm into the shirt’s holes, surprising herself with the soft tone her voice took.

“’Kay mom,” Alys sighed and let slumber take her again, not at all bothered by Cara man handling her.

For a second Cara shrugged the child’s words as it just being Alys confusing her with Kahlan, but then a detail clicked and made her stop. The memory of Sarah calling her ‘mom’ came to her, as well as the fact that Alys only addressed Kahlan as ‘mommy’. Cara raked her brain, but she couldn’t remember a single time Alys had said ‘mom’ instead. Cara’s eyebrows rose as she did remember when Alys had said ‘mom’; it had been after she woke up from Farkas’ attack and when she said it the child had been looking at Cara.

The sound of the door opening behind her interrupted Cara’s thoughts. Turning around a little distractedly, her mind still caught between what Richard had told her downstairs and what Alys had said just now, the blonde saw Sarah entering the room, followed closely by Kahlan.

“Is she asleep?” the older brunette asked with a fond smile, looking at her daughter sprawled on the bed.

“Like a rock,” Cara commented with a nod, the little blonde sure had no trouble in falling into a deep sleep.

“She’s a heavy sleeper,” Sarah said sitting on the other side of the bed. “She’ll probably mumble a lot during the night, but she won’t wake up until morning,” the teen smiled slightly as she looked down at Alys.

Kahlan had brought Sarah back inside after the teen had been up to it, but the Confessor could still see a little bit of sadness in the green eyes of the young brunette. Looking at Cara, Kahlan saw the blonde observe Sarah attentively; most likely trying to assess the teen’s state of mind. Sensing that Cara wanted to say something to the girl and that Sarah probably needed her mother’s support too, Kahlan decided to leave them both alone.

“I’ll call it a night,” Kahlan said, placing a supportive hand on Cara’s arm and leaning down to kiss Alys on the forehead. Going around the bed, Kahlan tucked Sarah’s hair behind her ear and leaned down to place a kiss on the teen’s cheek. “Have a good night, sweetie. If you need anything, we’re two doors down the corridor,” she smiled as Sarah nodded and hugged her around the neck, kissing Kahlan’s cheek in return.

“I’ll be right there,” Cara said extending their room key to Kahlan. The knowing look and understanding nod were all Cara needed to know that Kahlan was aware that she wanted to talk to Sarah.

Cara heard Kahlan close the door quietly behind her, keeping her eyes on Sarah and waiting for the girl to say something. After a few seconds it was obvious that Sarah was perfectly content in picking at the bed’s covers so Cara rose to place Alys’s dress in a nearby chair and walked slowly towards Sarah’s side.

“Do you have clothes to sleep in?” Cara tentatively asked, more to gauge the girl’s mood than to know about her wardrobe.

“Yes, I have something on my pack,” Sarah answered without lifting her eyes from the bed. 

“I don’t know if I’ll get better at this,” Cara started with a musing tone, sitting down next to Sarah. “I’m not very good at it now, but I’ll try,” she nodded curtly once to herself and took a deep breath, hopping she could be of some solace to the girl. “How are you? You seemed very upset downstairs,” she inquired about Sarah’s storming out.

“I’m okay,” Sara nodded as she looked up at Cara with a smile. “I was just upset about something, but I know everything is going to be okay once I get back to my time,” she explained as Cara nodded in understanding. “Don’t worry, you will,” Sarah added with a smile.

“I will what?”

“Get better at this comforting thing,” Sarah clarified. “Actually, you’re really good at it,” the teen said in a nostalgic tone. “You _always_ know what to say or do to make me feel better,” she sighed as she smiled at Cara. “Granted you seem a little out of sorts now,” she added letting her smile change into a teasing grin.

“Do I?” Cara smirked and playfully poked Sarah’s ribs, making the teen giggle. “Well, I guess I have time to learn,” Cara conceded, even though she was surprised to hear Sarah describe her like that; she never thought she would ever be someone who knew how to make anyone feel better.

“You’re not that different, thought,” Sarah continued after a beat. “You just have your stone face on most of the time, but I can see how much you care even if you seem to make an extra effort to hide what you feel,” Sarah explained with interest in her eyes.

“Are you examining me kid?” Cara drawled, feeling a little self-conscious with the sincere and caring way Sarah was talking about her.

“No, I’m just curious,” Sarah chuckled. “I hear a lot of stories about how you were impossible when you were younger. People are always telling me how much I resemble you, especially when I’m not being a role model for good behavior,” Sarah said making Cara snort in amusement. “So, I guess it’s nice to see for myself,” she shrugged.

“Hmmhmmm,” Cara looked suspiciously at Sarah and smirked knowingly. “See for yourself and see if you can hold something against me, am I right?”

“Who do you think I am?” Sarah asked mock indignant. “I would never do such a thing,” she shook her head vehemently, but the mischievous glint in her eyes gave her away.

“Not buying it kid,” Cara shook her head slowly, smiling lopsidedly at her daughter’s cunning ways.

“Okay, maybe I’m hoping to catch something that will allow me to say ‘ _you did the same thing_ ’ to you,” Sarah admitted. “But you’re a very strict mother, I have to use all I can get,” she playfully defended herself.

“I’m sure that if I’m strict it’s for your own good,” Cara defended her future self. She knew nothing about raising children, but by what she had seen so far, she decided that her future self wasn’t doing such bad job. “You’re sure you’re okay?” she changed the topic back to what had started the conversation.

“Yeah mom, don’t worry,” Sarah answered sincerely, smiling gratefully at Cara and throwing her arms around the blonde’s neck in a tight hug. “I love you,” Sarah whispered in a small voice full of emotion.

Cara’s throat suddenly closed at hearing Sarah, her daughter, telling her so effortlessly that she loved her. Unable to make her voice work, the blonde opted for hugging the teen closer to her, conveying in the action what she couldn’t quite say in words. Sarah squeezed back as if understanding Cara’s silent communication.

“Now get some sleep,” Cara said quietly while Sarah pulled back from the emotional hug.

Seeing the girl nod her agreement, Cara got up and started to walk to the door but stopped and turned back to address Sarah again.

“If you need anything, we’re-“

“Two doors down the corridor, I know,” Sarah repeated what Kahlan had already told her before leaving, and twice before getting to the room.

“I was just making sure,” Cara said as she raised her hands in a surrendering gesture.

Sarah just chuckled and waved her good night as Cara turned at the door to smile and give her a small wink.

*****

Kahlan folded her clothes neatly and put them on the chair next to the wall of her and Cara’s bedroom. Looking down at her almost naked body, only covered by her undergarments, the brunette pursed her lips shyly and blushed in the empty room. Shaking her head at her bashfulness, Kahlan went to Cara’s pack and pulled out her partner’s oversized shirt. Bringing the piece of clothing to her nose, she inhaled Cara’s unique scent and felt herself immediately calm down. 

Putting her head and arms through the respective holes in the shirt and letting it fall the rest of the way down her body, Kahlan surveyed herself in the mirror in front of her. Granted, the oversized shirt didn’t look so oversized on her; if the simple piece of clothing reached a few inches above Cara’s mid-thigh, when used by Kahlan the same shirt left even more skin on display. _Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing_ , Kahlan thought with a smirk.

Taking a deep breath, the nervous woman busied herself with lighting some candles around the room; after that was done Kahlan looked out the window restlessly. Turning to the inside of the room again, the Confessor went to lean on the surprisingly large chest of drawers, but quickly shook her head and changed her position to be sitting in the middle of the bed. Sighing her displeasure at this new position too, Kahlan scooted towards the end of the bed and crossed her legs, leaning back on her hands. Looking towards the door in front of her, Kahlan started to become a little impatient and she could feel her nerves rising back again. Getting up and turning her back to the door as she looked around the room, she jumped when the door opened. 

“It’s just me,” Cara chuckled at Kahlan’s startled jump as she closed the door. “What got you so jumpy?” the blonde asked distractedly while she walked to the nightstand to put down her agiels, her eyes inevitably attracted to Kahlan’s scantily clad body.

“Nothing,” Kahlan replied a little too quickly, her cheeks reddening slightly. “Everything okay?” she probed gently, paying close attention to Cara’s eyes.

“I guess,” Cara shrugged halfheartedly, walking closer to Kahlan. “I suppose Sarah didn’t tell you what was bothering her?” she half-asked half-stated, taking Kahlan’s sigh as a confirmation that her daughter hadn’t shared her thoughts with Kahlan either.

“I tried to get her to tell me, but she was adamant not to,” Kahlan said, hooking her fingers on Cara’s belt and moving the other hand to caress the blonde’s shoulder.

“She wouldn’t tell me either,” Cara shook her head, lifting her hand to cover the one on her shoulder. “It’s really annoying,” she commented in an afterthought, scrunching her face in frustration.

“It’s manageable,” Kahlan breathed out with an amused smile, she had to make an effort not to laugh at the irony of Cara being annoyed by Sarah not sharing her thoughts; even more since the blonde seemed to not notice that particular similarity between her and her daughter.

“Let’s leave all that for tomorrow,” Cara sighed, wanting to clean her mind of all the things that were plaguing her and wanting to revel in being here alone with Kahlan; who she noticed had a nervous energy around her. “Now, why don’t you tell me what you were doing before I came in?” she coaxed suspiciously, smirking when Kahlan blushed again.

“I was just readying myself to bed,” the Confessor whispered with a smile, moving her arms to encircle Cara’s neck and bring the Mord’Sith closer to her.

“I see you got yourself comfortable,” Cara smiled appreciatively, looking down Kahlan’s body and trailing a finger down Kahlan’s cleavage until she hooked it on the shirt’s low neckline.

“I took the liberty of using your shirt,” Kahlan scratched lightly at the nape of Cara’s neck, her breath already starting to become heavier due to the gloved hand that descended slowly down her spine to rest on her backside. “You don’t mind, do you?” the brunette whispered on Cara’s ear, smiling when she felt the Mord’Sith shudder.

Cara moved her head to meet Kahlan’s eyes, letting her lips trail lightly across the brunette’s cheek and pulling away just as she grazed the corner of Kahlan’s mouth. The blonde looked into Kahlan’s eyes with a sensual smirk and pulled on the fabric still trapped by her finger. Lowering her head to soft skin, Cara made Kahlan hiss with the hot kiss she placed in between the brunette’s breasts. She was sure Kahlan understood that she didn’t mind her stealing her clothes, she didn’t mind at all.

Kahlan arched her neck, making more room for Cara’s mouth that was currently bathing her throat with kisses. Kahlan sighed in pleasure as the blonde reached her earlobe, nibbling and biting gently on the soft flesh. Cara licked her way across Kahlan’s jaw line and finally captured the Confessor’s parted lips in a passionate kiss.

Moaning as Cara’s tongue reached out for her own, Kahlan held onto Cara’s neck as she felt her knees getting weak with the pleasurable sensations the blonde’s lips and tongue were awakening in her. As if on cue, Kahlan distractedly felt the bed against the back of her legs. Cara walked forward, forcing her to collapse against the mattress without breaking the feverish kiss. Cara’s body pressed heavily against her own not a second after, making Kahlan moan loudly as the blonde cupped the back of her tight and brought Kahlan’s leg over her hip. 

Cara ended the kiss with a gasp, but quickly resumed her passionate caresses by latching on the spot right below Kahlan’s ear and sucking until she felt the brunette arch her back. Feeling Kahlan tug at the laces on her back, Cara placed one more heated kiss on Kahlan’s lips and climbed on the bed to straddle Kahlan’s thighs while pulling her gloves off with her teeth.

“Let me get you more comfortable too,” Kahlan said breathlessly as she sat up with Cara on her lap and started unlacing Cara’s upper part of the uniform, placing hungry open-mouthed kisses on the expanse of bare skin before her face. After peeling off Cara’s leather, Kahlan wasted no time in latching her greedy mouth to an already hard nipple. The brunette brought her hand up to fondle Cara’s neglected breast as she bit on the stiffened pebble, encouraged by Cara’s hands tangled on her hair and the deep moans leaving the Mord’Sith’s mouth.

Cara started to move her hips in a grinding motion, not being able to stop the instinctive movement. All she could concentrate on was Kahlan’s capable hands and mouth moving between her breasts. Frustrated by her leather pants not letting her feel Kahlan’s soft skin, the Mord’Sith stood up on the mattress. As she rose, Cara caught the hem of Kahlan’s shirt and brought the fabric along with her, leaving the Confessor only in her undergarments and looking up at Cara with lustful eyes.

The blonde forgot why she got up in the first place as she looked down at the beautiful woman sitting at her feet. Without taking her eyes off of Cara’s, Kahlan closed her hands around the blonde’s ankles and started to move them upwards, alternating the pads of her fingers with the blunt scratch of her nails. Finally getting out of her haze, the blonde fumbled with the buckles of her belt. As she felt Kahlan’s warm hands stroking her inner thighs, Cara unlocked her belt and looked around the room for a place to throw it to.

It ended up dropping from her hand unceremoniously hitting the floor when Cara felt a firm and arousing pressure in her crotch. Looking down, the Mord’Sith moaned at the sight of Kahlan on her knees, looking up at her sensually and running the pads of her thumbs along Cara’s mound. Kahlan pressed just hard enough to make her touch be felt beneath the thick leather and grinned when she saw the pure lust in Cara’s eyes. Cara had never seen Kahlan be so forward and sexually confident before, it was driving her crazy with desire.

Moving her hands to the hem of Cara’s pants, Kahlan unlaced the few laces there and pulled them down. She grabbed Cara’s hips steadily and lavished the blonde’s stomach with her lips and tongue. 

Steadying herself on Kahlan’s shoulders, Cara tried to get rid of the pants pooling at her feet; but noticing that she still had her boots on she groaned in frustration, making Kahlan chuckle amusedly. Sitting down on the edge of the mattress, Cara got rid of her boots and pants. Before she could turn around, long arms encircled her neck from behind and a warm body rested snuggly against her back.

“I love you,” Kahlan whispered a she buried her face in Cara’s hair and inhaled the blonde’s scent.

Cara closed her eyes and let a smile appear on her lips as she heard Kahlan’s loving words. It still amazed her how the brunette could influence her emotions so much and with such ease. All it took was a look from Kahlan to calm Cara’s fears; all it took was a touch from Kahlan to reassure the blonde that whatever happened Kahlan was there for her; all it took were three simple words to make Cara want to shout at the top of her lungs that she loved Kahlan too and yet she was rendered speechless by Kahlan’s caring tone.

Taking a deep breath, Cara laced her fingers with Kahlan’s and placed a tender kiss in the back of both the brunette’s hands. Squeezing the pale hands, Cara pulled Kahlan’s arms more tightly around herself and nestled the back of her head in the brunette’s shoulder. Shifting slightly to look at the blue eyes she loved, Cara just stared at Kahlan as she conveyed in one unguarded look all the love she felt for the brunette.

“I know you do,” Kahlan whispered lovingly, making Cara smile at her accuracy in reading the blonde’s body language. 

“I truly do,” Cara said sincerely, turning around to push Kahlan back on the bed.

The brunette moved up in bed to lay her head in one of the pillows and beckoned Cara with a playful finger. Cara was quick to follow Kahlan’s command and straddled one of Kahlan’s thighs before leaning down to kiss the Confessor once again. Without needing prompting this time, Kahlan’s leg lifted by its own accord and hooked itself over Cara’s hip. Instinctively, the Mord’Sith’s leg flexed so that their bodies were even closer together, grinding against one another as their tongues dueled in a deep kiss.

Desperate to feel Cara’s center against hers again, Kahlan moved her hands to her own undergarments and raised her hips to push the item down. Feeling her body being lifted by Kahlan’s, the blonde looked down and quickly aided the brunette in getting rid of the unwanted clothes. After doing the same with her own undergarments, she noticed Kahlan part her legs invitingly in a not so subtle hint. Cara looked at the flushed Confessor and smirked seductively. The Mord’Sith moved to hover over Kahlan, but when she was about to kiss Kahlan’s lips she pulled back quickly, eliciting a complaining groan from Kahlan.

Instead of lying on top of Kahlan as she was sure the brunette wanted, Cara teasingly let her body hover just high enough so that Kahlan could feel the heat of her skin but not her touch. Frustrated, Kahlan used her arms around the blonde’s back to pull her down; however, to her distaste, the Mord’Sith’s strong arms stubbornly didn’t budge.

Before Kahlan could make her displeasure known verbally, Cara lowered her mouth to Kahlan’s nipple and started to suck and lick the hard pebble thoroughly. Kahlan moaned at the pleasant sensation and breathed out in relief as Cara’s warm body finally came to rest on her own. Cara moaned around the brunette’s nipple as she felt the warm wetness of Kahlan’s sex on her stomach. The vibration’s Cara’s moan sent through her breast, made Kahlan’s hips buckle in search of a desired friction. Cara flexed her stomach muscles and pressed down, giving Kahlan what she was seeking for, and switched her mouth to the other breast, biting softly on the rose bud.

Letting her body slide down the brunette’s, Cara caressed the soft skin of Kahlan’s stomach with her fingers and trailed a path of open-mouthed kisses down the firm abdomen. Kahlan intertwined her fingers in blonde hair as she undulated under the expert ministrations, moaning in complete abandonment.

Kahlan’s primal reactions to her caresses were driving Cara wild. The amount of wetness she could feel in her abdomen let her know that Kahlan was in a similar state to her; that knowledge only made Cara bolder, so she moved her mouth even lower and sucked on the tender skin on the juncture between Kahlan’s leg and body. Kahlan hissed in pleasure at Cara’s hot mouth and looked down to meet green eyes looking hungrily back at her.

Being this close to Kahlan’s center, Cara could smell the brunette’s arousal and she could barely contain herself. Looking up into hooded blue eyes, Cara wasted no time and closed her lips around the brunette’s engorged clit. Kahlan’s head dropped back against the pillow as she let out a keening sound and arched her back off the bed. Placing her hand on the brunette’s hips to keep her still, Cara eagerly lapped the wetness in Kahlan’s sex, licking the wet folds and flicking her tongue slowly over the sensitive bud.

“Cara,” Kahlan breathed out as a shiver shook her body when Cara circled her entrance with her tongue and pushed in unhurriedly, little by little.

Cara dug her blunt nails on Kahlan’s hips and moaned at the feeling of the brunette around her tongue. Wanting to stay there for as long as she could, the blonde looked up to see if this was becoming too much for Kahlan. The gasping breaths coming from Kahlan, as well as the clenching hand on her hair, warned Cara that this was probably getting a little out of hand, so she placed one final kiss on Kahlan’s inner thigh and regretfully sat up so she was kneeling between Kahlan’s legs.

“Maybe it’s better if I go sleep in the girls’ bedroom,” Cara said only half-teasing, sighing frustratingly as she could still taste Kahlan on her lips.

“Come here,” Kahlan whispered with a smile. “Come here, Cara,” she repeated and extended her hand when she saw the blonde start to protest.

The Mord’Sith did as she was told and lied down on top of Kahlan, using her forearms to support herself. Kahlan just combed her fingers soothingly through the blonde’s hair and amused herself by watching Cara’s pensive face.

“Kahlan, I have to tell you something,” Cara said with a somber tone, looking deep into blue eyes. “If I don’t die from confession, I think I’ll die from frustration anyway,” she revealed with a serious face.

Kahlan laughed at the petulant pout gracing the other woman’s lips and lifted her head to kiss it away. Pulling away from the kiss, Cara looked down and saw an expression on Kahlan’s face she couldn’t quite figure out the meaning of. 

“What?” Cara asked suspiciously. Kahlan was not behaving as she normally did when faced with their impossibility to have sex.

“I want you Cara,” Kahlan whispered, cupping Cara’s cheek tenderly. 

“I want you too,” Cara replied, reinforcing her words with a kiss. “But-“

“Give me your hand,” Kahlan interrupted with a secret smile. At Cara’s doubtful expression, she insisted. “Spirits Cara, just give me your hand or don’t you trust me?”

“Of course, I do,” the Mord’Sith replied readily and laced her fingers together with Kahlan’s.

“Now kiss me,” Kahlan demanded softly, the secretive smile only growing as Cara lowered her lips onto Kahlan’s without hesitation.

Kahlan brought their joined hands to rest on the mattress and cupped Cara’s neck to deepen the kiss. As the passionate kiss progressed heatedly, Kahlan slowly slide the back of her hand upwards, consequently dragging Cara’s with hers. Pleased that the Mord’Sith seemed to not be paying much attention to the sneaky movement and instead was concentrated on exploring Kahlan’s mouth, the Confessor pushed their hands beneath the pillow and waited until Cara finally caught up with her movements.

Feeling something cold suddenly hit her hand, Cara slowed the kiss and focused her attention on the hand still laced with Kahlan’s. Extending her fingers, the Mord’Sith felt what seemed like something made of steel beneath the pillow. The first though crossing her mind was that it was one of Kahlan’s daggers, but as the Confessor released her hand and maneuvered it so that Cara grabbed the foreign object, the blonde noticed that it was not a dagger. Pulling away from Kahlan, Cara closed her fingers around an arch of some kind and pulled it from beneath the pillow.

“It’s a Rada’Han,” the blonde whispered with wide eyes, looking from the magical object to a blushing Kahlan.

Kahlan just nodded and smiled at the surprised look on Cara’s face. The woman examined the metal collar as if not believing what she had in her hands. Finally, Cara locked eyes with Kahlan and the brunette could feel the heat on her cheeks increase.

“Where did you get this?” Cara asked as a small smile was creeping onto her lips.

“I found it in the saddlebags of the horses,” Kahlan revealed, shifting her eyes timidly away from Cara. “The Mord’Sith must have brought it to put on Alys,” the brunette supposed, glancing up at an amused Cara.

“Why so shy all of a sudden, Mother Confessor?” Cara teased as she kissed Kahlan’s red cheeks.

“I’m not being shy,” Kahlan denied weakly, making Cara chuckle dubiously. “I’m just… overwhelmed I guess,” Kahlan sighed with a smile. “I’ve never…” she trailed of as her cheeks flushed even more, but her eyes never left Cara’s soothing gaze.

“I know,” Cara reassured the nervous Confessor and leaned down for a gentle kiss. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Cara asked as she put some distance between them to see Kahlan’s eyes.

“I’ve been wanting to do this with you sinc-“

“No, Kahlan,” Cara interrupted. “I mean this,” she pointedly looked at the Rada’Han. “Binding your power,” she clarified in a serious tone.

Kahlan had to smile at Cara’s care when it comes to her. Even after admitting just moments ago that she was close to dying of sexual frustration, Cara’s first thought was about Kahlan’s comfort.

“I’m more than sure,” Kahlan assured and brought Cara’s lips to meet her own.

Feeling the bottled-up desire rush through her veins, Cara let go of the Rada’Han and cupped Kahlan’s still flushed cheeks while she kissed her deeply. Feeling the brunette’s knee raise between her legs, Cara moaned into the kiss at the pressure of Kahlan’s muscles against her center. She let her hand explore the side of Kahlan’s body as she ground herself down against the brunette’s thigh.

Kahlan let herself get lost in the kiss, relieved that she wouldn’t have to hold back anymore. The heat and wetness she could feel in her thigh only served to excite her further so she rolled Cara onto her back in a surge of desire. Grinning at the surprised gasp leaving the blonde’s mouth, Kahlan trailed a wet path of kisses down Cara’s throat, marveling at the rapid pulse she could feel beneath her lips.

With their legs intertwined, Cara copied the brunette’s previous move and bent her knee so she could provide the woman on top of her with the friction she knew she craved. Cara was rewarded with a whimper and a bite to the base of her neck. Closing her eyes tightly at the pleasure, the Mord’Sith took hold of Kahlan’s waist to aid the brunette in her undulating movements; but she opened them again in confusion when the warmth of Kahlan’s body disappeared.

Kahlan sat up panting heavily and straddled the blonde’s hips. She looked down at Cara’s candle illuminated golden skin and traced the shadows on the blonde’s toned body with her fingers. Lifting her eyes back to Cara’s lust filled ones; Kahlan shuddered at the intense gaze and broke the contact to reach for the discarded Rada’Han on the bed. Opening it with the key that had been waiting on the side-table, Kahlan brought the silver circle to her neck, but before she could snap the latch close Cara used her strong stomach muscles to sat up and grab the brunette’s hands.

“Wait,” Cara whispered breathlessly. “Don’t do it yet,” she took the magical object from Kahlan’s shaking fingers and put it back down on the mattress.

“Cara please, don’t play with fire,” Kahlan pleaded, reaching with her hand to take the Rada’Han again, but Cara stopped her once more.

“That’s not what this is about,” Cara assured, meeting blue eyes. “I just want you to have that on you as little as possible,” she said softly, latching her lips to Kahlan’s neck and smiling when she felt Kahlan relax again in her arms.

Kahlan felt a surge of emotion invade her; she didn’t want to risk anything, but she couldn’t help but melt a little at Cara’s obvious intent of having her wear the oppressing Rada’Han as little as possible. Holding onto a tanned shoulder with one hand and sliding the other in golden locks, Kahlan let herself enjoy completely the amorous attention she was being given.

Cara supported Kahlan with one arm around the brunette’s lower back and moved the other one to caress the soft skin of the brunette’s stomach. Moving her hand upwards, the blond cupped a heavy mound and captured a hard nipple between her thumb and forefinger, rolling it teasingly and hearing Kahlan whimper and moan at the sensation.

Kahlan unconsciously started to grind her hips against Cara’s lap, blindly searching for a friction spot as Cara licked around her other breast. The brunette dug her nails on Cara’s shoulder as she felt a hand descend along her body until it reached her wet folds. With a desperate moan, Kahlan canted her hips to meet Cara’s hand and breathed out when the blonde cupped her sex, letting her fingers trail slowly along her folds.

Cara hugged the shivering woman in her lap closer when she felt the heat radiating in the palm of her hand. Kahlan was so wet that her juices coated the blonde’s fingers in a couple of strokes. Sucking on Kahlan’s nipple, Cara brought her fingers to circle around the brunette’s clit.

“Oh Cara,” Kahlan let out in a breathy moan, holding onto Cara’s shoulder and neck as she arched her back; bringing her breast more into the blonde’s mouth and ground her center more firmly against Cara’s fingers.

With a wet sound, Cara released Kahlan’s nipple and observed in rapture the expression of pure pleasure on the other woman’s face. Kahlan had her eyes tightly closed and was biting her lower lip as Cara increased the speed of her circling fingers. When Kahlan straightened herself again and opened her eyes to look directly at Cara, the blonde’s breath caught in her throat at the lustful look on Kahlan’s dark blue eyes. Without breaking the intense eye contact, Cara moved her fingers lower and carefully entered Kahlan with one finger; watching as the brunette’s mouth opened in a silent gasp.

Feeling Cara’s finger slowly penetrated her, Kahlan let her body gradually relax around it and let out a sigh when the digit went inside completely. Staring deeply into green orbs, Kahlan instinctually started to move her body against Cara’s finger, moaning at the intense pleasure it caused her. She smiled at Cara’s astonishing expression and brought her lips down to meet the blonde’s in a lingering kiss.

Cara opened her mouth to let Kahlan’s tongue search her own and ground the hilt of her hand on the brunette’s clit to increase the woman’s pleasure. She watched as Kahlan ended the kiss and hastily reached for the Rada’Han, clasping it securely around her neck. Noticing Kahlan increase the thrusting motions of her hips, Cara slowed their rhythm and slowly added another finger, moaning at how tight Kahlan felt around her.

Kahlan only took a few seconds to get used to this new feeling and wasted no time in resuming her thrusting motion. Resting her forehead against Cara’s, Kahlan panted as Cara thrust in and out of her with increased tempo, while her clit rubbed wonderfully against the hilt of the blonde’s hand.

“Oh Spirits,” Kahlan gasped loudly and closed her eyes when she felt Cara curve her fingers inside her and hit a spot that made Kahlan lose all the strength in her muscles.

“Look at me Kahlan,” Cara requested, not stopping her thrusting fingers inside Kahlan and curving them when she pulled out slightly.

Kahlan did as asked and opened her eyes to meet the blonde’s gaze. Using all her strength to push against Cara’s shoulders, Kahlan forced the Mord’Sith to lie on her back while Kahlan moved fervently on her lap. Shifting so that she could lie on top of Cara and holding herself up on her forearm, the brunette moved her hand in between Cara’s legs, biting her lip in anticipation as she felt how wet Cara was.

“Don’t stop,” Kahlan whispered wantonly in Cara’s ear as the blonde got a little distracted with the tentative fingers entering her and slowed her own thrusts.

“Spirits Kahlan, you feel so good,” Cara moaned as Kahlan mimicked her movements, the blonde’s walls pulling her in deeper.

If it was even possible, Kahlan felt a new surge of desire rush through her; being inside Cara was the most thrilling thing she had ever felt. She lifted her head to look down into unfocused green eyes and panting inviting mouth; she had never seen a more beautiful sight than Cara squirming in pleasure under her.

Their rhythm increased again until they were both panting heavily and whispering each other’s name in gasping breaths. Kahlan could feel her orgasm building inside her, to a point where she couldn’t hold it back any longer and as a reflex a surge of fear passed through her eyes while she looked at Cara.

“Let go,” Cara said reassuringly between raged breaths; she had noticed Kahlan’s brief reluctance and wanted to make sure the Confessor forgot about it and enjoyed this moment.

Hearing Cara’s words, Kahlan felt herself lose the grip in her magic as her orgasm shook her body to the core while she opened her mouth in a silent scream. She felt her pleasure coming in long waves and fixed her gaze on Cara’s eyes to make sure the vivid green never turned into black.

Cara watched mesmerized as the black swam around Kahlan’s eyes until they were completely black. The sight was spellbinding and it only took one last thrust from Kahlan’s fingers against her sweet spot to send the blonde over the edge. Clenching the bed sheets in her fist, Cara arched her body off the bed and let out a strangled moan that sounded a lot like Kahlan’s name.

Kahlan moaned at the sight and let Cara ride her orgasm until the blonde came back down on the bed. Kahlan could feel her walls clench around the Mord’Sith’s slow thrusting fingers and she too gradually came down from her mind blowing orgasm.

Cara felt the aftershocks shake her body as Kahlan kept moving her fingers inside her. She let her back rest again on the mattress and looked up at Kahlan’s still black eyes with a pleased smile. When she felt Kahlan’s walls completely relax, she gently withdrew her coated fingers from the brunette and gasped slightly when Kahlan did the same. Unclenching the sheet, Cara cupped the back of Kahlan’s neck and brought the Confessor down to a languid and sated kiss.

Ending the kiss, Kahlan looked down affectionately at Cara; her eyes returning to their usual sky blue. Cara smiled back and then frowned slightly as her eyes dropped to Kahlan’s neck. Lazily, she reached for the chain containing the small key and wasted no time in opening the Rada’Han, freeing the Confessor from it and placing the appreciated object on the side-table.

“You’re okay,” Kahlan whispered breathlessly, caressing Cara’s face with her fingers. She was still a little fearful that something might have had gone wrong, but she didn’t saw Cara’s eyes turning black and the Mord’Sith was not crying in agony so it was clear she wasn’t confessed.

“I’d say I’m a lot more than okay,” Cara smirked knowingly and chuckled when Kahlan blushed and hid her face on the blonde’s neck.

“I can’t move,” Kahlan giggled tiredly, resting her head on Cara’s shoulder. 

“That means you’re a lot more than okay too,” Cara pointed out playfully, one hand trailing random patterns on Kahlan’s back and the other caressing up and down the brunette’s arm.

Kahlan just nodded, a big sated grin plastered on her face. While she played absentmindedly with Cara’s hair, Kahlan basked in the afterglow; she was certain that sharing this moment with Cara would always be one of the most treasured memories of her life.

“If someone would have told me years ago that my first time would be with a Mord’Sith I would have laughed so much,” Kahlan blurted out after a few moments of silent, clearly amused by her own thoughts.

“I never believed I would ever have a first time, least of all that it would be with a Confessor,” Cara said offhandedly, although her voice was laced with meaning as she waited for Kahlan’s reaction.

“Cara, come on, I know that you-“ Kahlan started as she lifted her head to look at the blonde, but stopped when she saw Cara’s little smile and played the blonde’s words again in her head. “What do you mean by ‘first time’, exactly?” she questioned, suspecting that Cara didn’t meant her words the same way Kahlan did.

“What could I possibly mean?” Cara raised her eyebrows in mock-confusion and flipped Kahlan on her back. “The words ‘first time’ stand for something that happened which had never happened before,” she smirked and kissed Kahlan sweetly.

Kahlan pushed the Mord’Sith away by her shoulders and looked curiously at the woman above her. “Cara, you mean that this was the first time you _made love_ with someone, don’t you?” Kahlan asked in a teasing manner, her grin widening when the blonde just shrugged and blushed a little as she busied herself with kissing Kahlan’s lips again. “That’s it, isn’t it?” Kahlan said giddily against Cara’s lips.

“You’re talking too much,” Cara complained, but Kahlan could feel the blonde’s smile against her lips.

“I knew it,” Kahlan said, her smile getting impossibly wider while Cara nibbled her ear. “You’re a romantic at heart, aren’t you?” she said excitedly.

“I love you too,” Cara opted to ignore Kahlan’s question and whispered on Kahlan’s ear, a delayed vocal reply to Kahlan’s previous declaration.

Kahlan sighed contently and cupped Cara’s face to bring the blonde’s supple lips back to her own. Opening her mouth to deepen the kiss, Kahlan moaned as Cara’s tongue caressed hers in a sensuous manner. She whimpered in protest as Cara ended the kiss, but resumed her moaning when the blonde started a kissing path down her throat, licking and nipping the pale skin.

“What are you doing Cara?” Kahlan smiled, her breathing becoming heavy again very quickly since the blonde moved lower to use her mouth on Kahlan’s breasts in all the right ways.

“I just remembered I never finished what I started earlier,” Cara commented dismissively, never stopping the kisses and caresses down Kahlan’s body.

“What’s that?” the brunette gulped and looked down expectantly to see Cara kiss down her stomach and hover over her center.

Cara lifted her head and just smirked knowingly while she lowered herself and ran her flat tongue along the length of Kahlan’s sex, pausing at the top to suck gently on the sensitive bundle of nerves. Without needing any more clarification, Kahlan shivered and smiled her approval, resting back against the pillow to enjoy the blonde’s very capable tongue.


	18. Chapter 18

Cara woke with the morning sun hitting her eyes and a soft touch across her skin; she looked down and saw a pale hand moving along her chest. Following the arm connected to that hand, Cara turned her head to the side and saw Kahlan smiling contently next to her, resting her head on her folded arm and following the movements of her hand.

“What are you doing?” Cara asked in a rough morning voice.

“Connecting the dots,” Kahlan whispered, trailing her fingers from one freckle to the other on the blonde’s body. “These always entice me.”

“The first time you did that I got a kiss,” Cara hinted with a smirk.

“Are you trying to ask me for something?” Kahlan grinned as she teased back.

“Do I have to ask now?” the blonde raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.

Kahlan just giggled and gave Cara a good morning kiss, a passionate good morning kiss.

Cara didn’t take much time to roll the brunette onto her back and deepen the kiss, sliding her tongue into the Confessor’s mouth. The brunette moaned at the contact and circled her arms around Cara’s back, bringing the blonde closer to her body. The Mord’Sith broke the kiss slowly and trailed a path of open-mouthed kisses down the column of the other woman’s throat, making Kahlan moan breathily.

“Did you have a good night?” Cara asked smiling, never stopping her kisses over Kahlan’s smooth neck.

“What do you think?” the Confessor giggled, her mind wandering to the passionate night she had spent with Cara.

“I think we both had an incredible night,” the blonde whispered hotly in Kahlan’s ear, making the Confessor shiver in pleasure.

“Cara…” Kahlan whispered, her tone not clear about her intention; if it was for Cara to continue or to stop.

The Mord’Sith just continued her languid kisses and caressed Kahlan’s side with her warm hand. Cara smiled into Kahlan’s skin when she felt the Confessor arch into her touch and caught Kahlan’s lips with her own in a slow kiss.

“Cara… we have to go downstairs,” Kahlan said between kisses. “Richard told me yesterday he had news he wanted to talk about before taking off,” she added and got worried when she felt Cara freeze in her arms. “You know what it is?”

“He told me yesterday when you were out with Sarah,” Cara sighed and placed one more kiss on Kahlan’s lips. “Something about some powerful spells Darken Rahl was using on children,” the blonde answered the question in Kahlan’s eyes and averted her own from the Confessor’s.

“What is Cara?” Kahlan asked with concern, cupping the blonde’s cheek to bring the green eyes back to meet hers. “You have the same look you did yesterday in the stable,” she recognized.

“Richard told me that Darken Rahl had been trying to use a spell that allowed Mord’Sith children to have their mother’s abilities,” Cara summarized, her eyes clouded as if she was remembering something.

“Such a spell exists?” Kahlan questioned, paying close attention to Cara’s expression.

“Apparently it does, an incantation of sorts, like a ritual,” the blonde said distractedly. “And many other powerful ones according to what Richard told me.”

“Maybe that’s how Sarah got her powers,” Kahlan hypothesized, bringing Cara’s full attention back to her. “She did say she wasn’t broken,” Kahlan continued, watching as Cara nodded in agreement.

“Maybe I got tricked twice,” Cara mumbled, once more averting her eyes from Kahlan.

“Twice?” the Confessor prompted. “What do you mean?” she asked, watching as Cara sighed heavily and paused as if gathering her own thoughts.

“I had a son,” Cara revealed, and before Kahlan could interject she continued. “Years ago, I had a son with Darken Rahl,” she elaborated, looking away from Kahlan in shame.

Kahlan caressed her cheek tenderly and brought Cara to a comforting kiss, smiling encouragingly when she pulled away. Cara smiled back, grateful for how well Kahlan interpreted her actions and how quick Kahlan was to reassure her.

“You must understand, by that time it was an honor for a Mord’Sith to be chosen by Lord Rahl for such a duty,” Cara clarified even after Kahlan had showed her she would not judge her in any way. “He spelled me, saying that it was for protection and when I gave birth, I was told the child, a boy, was dead, like many other children born of Mord’Sith,” she recalled.

“Cara…” Kahlan whispered reassuringly, squeezing Cara’s hand and wanting nothing more than to take away the pain and sorrow she could see and recognize on Cara’s face.

“Richard told me that Darken Rahl was using those kids as human experiments,” the Mord’Sith said, squeezing Kahlan’s hand back. “He attacked them with his magic to see if they instinctively blocked his attacks,” she said as Kahlan gasped in horror. “There was a boy among those kids, alive, and I can’t help but wonder…” she trailed off knowing that Kahlan would understand her train of thought.

“You can’t help but wonder if he’s your son,” Kahlan finished with an understanding look. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I thought he was dead,” Cara shrugged. “Honestly, I had put him to the back of my mind, something I wanted to forget, but meeting Sarah made me remember and look at it with different eyes,” she confessed.

“Mother’s eyes,” Kahlan stated, catching a lone tear with her thumb that was falling silently from Cara’s eye. “Cara, if there’s a spell to put a mother’s power into the child-”

“Put the powers in the child, Kahlan,” Cara interrupted. “Not put the child into a womb without having the right equipment,” the blonde added, guessing where Kahlan’s train of thought was going.

“Why are you so adamant that it’s impossible?” Kahlan asked a little sadly.

“Why do you insist that we, both women, can generate a baby?” Cara counteracted in a defeated tone, watching as Kahlan covered herself with a blanket and got up from the bed to pace back and forth. “Kahlan come back to bed, I don’t want to argue with you,” Cara said with a sigh.

“Then why do you?” the Confessor shouted back in exasperation, turning to look at the blonde with a plea in her eyes.

“Because you insist on that crazy idea,” Cara shouted back, sitting up on the bed.

“It’s not crazy and you know it,” Kahlan said in a suddenly quiet, stern voice. “You’re just too afraid to believe something like that could happen,” Kahlan said, putting her hand on her hip as if daring Cara to say she was wrong.

The Confessor expected Cara to go back to her famous ‘Mord’Sith are afraid of nothing’ routine, but the wounded look in Cara’s eyes actually surprised Kahlan, making her almost regret her words. Almost, because sometimes Cara was just too stubborn to admit some things and it seemed like getting into a fight was the only way to get the Mord’Sith to admit them.

“Maybe my believing in miracles quota ended already,” Cara let out in raspy voice filled with emotion, as she looked down at the sheets to hide her sudden vulnerable state.

“What do you mean?” Kahlan prodded, feeling her heart clench at the disturbed tone of Cara’s voice.

“Maybe been given a second chance at life and having you fall in love with me were already beyond the miracles I thought the Creator would bother to bestow upon me,” Cara confessed, looking at Kahlan from behind her eyelashes.

“Why would me falling in love with you be a miracle?” Kahlan asked gently, coming back to bed to sit next to Cara and take the blonde’s hand comfortingly.

Kahlan understood how that could have been unexpected, given that they were supposed to be mortal enemies, but what Kahlan truly wanted to know was why Cara still though that her love for her was something that would be taken away when she least expected.

“ _Why?_ ” Cara asked with a humorless chuckle. “You’re a Confessor, I’m a Mord’Sith; I kille-“

“I forgave you for that,” Kahlan interrupted hurriedly. “Don’t make that a problem Cara, because you know it’s not,” she refused to let the blonde bring up her sister’s death as if Kahlan blamed Cara for it; the Confessor knew Cara had just been following orders. 

Seemingly defeated by Kahlan’s conviction, Cara sighed and closed her eyes tiredly. She knew her arguments were not valid, not now after what she and Kahlan had gone through, but she had to admit her lover was right; she was terrified of the possibility of having everything she wanted. How pathetic was that?

“I know, I just…” Cara trailed off, looking into Kahlan’s blue eyes and losing herself there for a moment. “I’m scared of losing you,” she absentmindedly confessed in a whisper, averting her eyes in embarrassment when she noticed what she had said.

Kahlan smiled at the blonde’s rare show of shyness and cupped Cara’s cheek, turning her head gently so that blue eyes could meet green.

“Don’t be,” Kahlan whispered, still smiling. “Because I don’t plan to leave you, no matter who else appears from the future,” she added with a light chuckle and was relieved when she heard Cara chuckle too. “What is it Cara?” Kahlan concernedly asked when she noticed the Mord’Sith tilt her head with an increasingly pensive expression. 

Cara again averted her eyes from Kahlan’s and looked around the room, clearly debating with herself if she should share with Kahlan what was plaguing her mind. Looking back again at Kahlan, the concerned blue eyes of the Confessor made the decision for her.

“It’s just something I noticed yesterday,” she began, still somewhat hesitant. “When I went to put Alys to bed, she called me ‘mom’ and I thought she had confused me with you,” Cara explained, carefully observing Kahlan’s reaction.

“She’s a pretty heavy sleeper, that wouldn’t surprise me,” Kahlan replied with a fond smile.

“She is,” Cara agreed. “But she never made that mistake with Richard or Zedd and yet this is the second time she has called me ‘mom’” the Mord’Sith pointed out.

Kahlan frowned as she thought back to the various times either Richard or Zedd had dealt with a sleepy Alys, and never had her daughter mistook any of them. She also recalled when Alys, in her sleepy state, had called Cara ‘mom’. Maybe they were assuming Alys was confusing Cara with Kahlan, when actually the little girl’s sleepy state was letting the truth to slip from her mouth.

“It’s not a crazy idea, Cara,” Kahlan shook her head and intertwined her fingers with Cara’s. “I think that little girl could very well be ours,” the Confessor grinned widely and kissed the blonde deeply.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Cara mumbled between kisses as she circled Kahlan’s back and brought the brunette down with her onto the bed. 

“Cara,” Kahlan said, breaking the kiss and looking into the Mord’Sith’s eyes as she pulled the sheet covering her body out of the way. “Shut up,” she said playfully, making Cara smirk, and kissed Cara’s lips passionately, letting their naked bodies move against each other in a dance that was becoming very familiar.

*****

Richard was looking at Sarah and patiently waiting for an answer while he ate his breakfast at the inn table. He and Zedd had just told Sarah about the incantation Darken Rahl had used on the Mord’Sith to make their children acquire their mother’s power and were now waiting for what the teen knew about it.

“Look, I don’t know which spell,” Sarah replied, but averted her eyes to the apple she was munching on. “I just know a spell allowed me to have the power I have,” she shrugged unconcernedly, peeking underneath her eyelashes at Richard and Zedd’s reaction.

“Who spelled you?” Richard insisted, sensing that Sarah was, once again, holding back something from them.

“Not me,” the teen shook her head and pointedly looked over Richard’s shoulder.

The Seeker turned around to watch as Kahlan and Cara approached the table. As he paid more attention, he noticed that both of them looked different; it was subtle and he couldn’t really pinpoint what it was, but there was definitely something different about them… as if they were at ease with something and more confident at the same time. _Is Cara smiling?_ Yes, something had happened between both women that had brought them even closer. Richard sighed softly, he still held some hope that Kahlan would get back to him, but this wish was looking more and more like just that, just a wish.

“Kahlan, we were talking about-“

“Cara already filled me in about the news from Zedd’s friend,” Kahlan interrupted gently with a smile, looking back at Cara and unconsciously smiling wider.

“I was just asking Sarah if she got her powers from a spell,” Richard informed as Kahlan ruffled Alys’ hair affectionately and sat next to the grinning child. “She said Cara was spelled so she could get her powers,” the Seeker explained and looked at Sarah for confirmation, the teen just shrugged noncommittally. 

“So, you got your powers because of a spell,” Cara drawled as she sat down next to her daughter and looked at the teen with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s right,” Sarah confirmed, a little mischievous smirk appearing on her lips as she detected Cara’s annoyance at being kept in the dark.

“You couldn’t have told that to me when I asked because…,” Cara prompted, a little annoyed.

“I did tell you Mord’Sith hadn’t broken me,” Sarah corrected in her defense. “And it was fun to know something you wanted to know,” the brunette teen chuckled. “Usually it’s the other way around, so I had to take advantage of the situation,” she grinned and shared a wink with Alys.

“You amuse yourself with things you shouldn’t,” Cara admonished, not noticing Kahlan smiling in amusement while watching her.

“Yes, I have never met someone who was amused with things she shouldn’t,” Zedd pointed out sarcastically, looking pointedly at Cara.

Cara just sighed and made sure she paid no attention to Zedd, while everyone at the table laughed lightly at the truthful remark.

“And what do you mean ‘I was spelled’?” the older Mord’Sith asked, bringing everyone’s attention back to Sarah. “By whom exactly?” the blonde added, gritting her teeth as her mind reminded her of a time when Darken Rahl had fooled her and spelled the unborn child on her womb.

“Richard,” Sarah simply said, smiling in clear amusement at everyone’s surprised expressions.

“I would never do to Cara what Darken Rahl did to all those Mord’Sith,” Richard immediately protested, his angry expression turning into worry as he saw Cara look down with a frown. “He did the same to you, didn’t he?” the Seeker concluded after noticing Kahlan squeeze Cara’s hand reassuringly across the table and recalling Cara’s reaction to the news the night before.

The blonde just nodded curtly, squeezing Kahlan’s hand back gratefully and releasing it to continue eating. She looked at Sarah and saw the worry and confusion in the expressive green eyes of the teen, letting her deduce that her future self had never talked about this with the young Mord’Sith. Trying to avert her daughter’s questioning eyes, the blonde looked ahead only to meet a pair of small blue orbs staring at her, clearly trying to put all the information together.

“You had a baby?” Alys finally asked after a staring match of a few moments with Cara.

“At the time it was a great honor to carry Darken Rahl’s child,” Cara explained a little awkwardly, her voice getting unconsciously softer as she talked to the confused young Confessor. “I had a boy,” she added as her voice cracked almost unnoticeably, although the foot resting reassuringly against her leg told her Kahlan had noticed. 

“Then where is he?” Alys asked again, seeming to understand and not question the kind of honor Cara was talking about. 

Cara sighed, the question reminding her again that she didn’t know the truth about the son she thought had died at birth.

“What did your friend tell you?” Cara turned to Zedd, her voice getting firmer as her frustration gave way to anger, a well-known coping mechanism.

“He didn’t know for sure if the boy survived or not,” Zedd replied calmly, knowing Cara well enough to know the anger wasn’t directed at him.

“If he’s alive we will find him Cara,” Kahlan reassured with a smile as she squeezed Cara’s hand again.

“He probably isn’t,” Cara supposed, looking into Kahlan’s eyes and then turning to look at Sarah when the older Confessor frowned in confusion. “Sarah here still looks stunned by the news, so I’m guessing there are no siblings in her future,” she explained, looking at Sarah and waiting for confirmation.

“No,” Sarah said simply, her eyes shifting from Cara to Kahlan. “There are no brothers in my future,” she added, looking back at Cara apologetically and smiling when her mother gave her a reassuring smile.

“You may be impulsive with your actions girl, in that you completely resemble your mother,” Zedd addressed Sarah with a pensive look, bringing everyone’s attention to him. “But you’re careful with your words; I wonder where that trait comes from,” he said with a small smile.

“I am my own person, you know?” Sarah shot back immediately, raising her chin defiantly and making the others laugh, especially Zedd.

“I guess you can talk like Cara after all,” Zedd said, renewing the laughter and making the blonde Mord’Sith chuckle and roll her eyes.

“BANELINGS!” a scream sounded in the inn’s tavern as a gasping man burst through the door and looked at the Seeker for help.

The laughter died quickly around the table as Richard instinctively got up and ran to the door, closely followed by Cara who was already drawing her agiels. As they got to the door, sure enough, a group of men with rotten flesh could be seen running toward the inn wearing menacing expressions.

“I guess we have company,” Cara said with a smirk in anticipation of the fight.

“Alys stay here and hide,” Kahlan said to the blonde girl, smiling as Alys seemed to want to protest but ended up going to hide behind the counter. “Sarah,” Kahlan started, turning to look at the teen as Zedd rushed past her to meet the others outside.

“Don’t even try it,” Sarah interrupted quickly, drawing her own agiels from her back and walking outside.

Kahlan followed and could hear the annoyed huff from the teen as Sarah moved to stand in front of Cara, but the older Mord’Sith pushed her behind instead.

The Confessor didn’t have time to marvel at Cara’s protective instincts as various banelings marched over to them with speed and murderous intent. She glanced to her right to see Cara and Sarah with such a similar stance it was endearing, and right away she was slicing banelings with her daggers in a well-practiced and intricate dance.

Richard and Zedd were covering the girl’s backs, but the always alert eye of the Seeker noticed that the banelings were all trying to get to Kahlan. Looking behind him, he noticed that Cara and Sarah had come to the same conclusion and all of them were now forming a protective circle around Kahlan.

“Why are they trying to get to me?” Kahlan shouted above the deafening sound of clashing weapons and screams of pain.

“They could be doing Farkas’s biding,” Zedd presumed as he torched a couple more banelings.

“Kill the Mother Confessor and then we’ll have our lives back for good,” one burly baneling shouted as he charged with brute force at Kahlan.

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Sarah said through clenched teeth as she got in the baneling’s way and brought him to the ground in a show of skill backed up by the power of what could only be described as pure rage.

The young Mord’Sith wasted no time in waiting for the banelings’ attacks and instead engaged them with ferocious intent. Cara spared a glance at Kahlan who wore the same surprised expression at the fierce way Sarah was fighting.

As the last baneling died at the end of Sarah’s agiel, all of them took a minute to look around and make sure the threat had really passed. Breathing hard from the exertion, Sarah turned away from the dead body and walked towards a worried Kahlan.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” Kahlan asked as she cupped Sarah’s cheek where blood from a small cut could be seen.

“I am,” the brunette Mord’Sith reassured, brushing Kahlan’s hand off gently.

“You fought really bravely,” Kahlan complimented with a small smile of admiration.

“I can’t let something happen to you too,” Sarah whispered and looked away.

“What do you mean?” Kahlan immediately inquired.

“Nothing,” the teen hurriedly replied, shrugging and addressing the whole group instead, not without glancing at the inn’s door, where Alys appeared, and made sure the young Confessor was unharmed. “It seemed like these things had a target,” she verbalized what was on everyone’s mind, looking in disgust at the rotten bodies Zedd was busy setting on fire.

“They clearly wanted to kill you specifically,” Richard said to Kahlan as he approached the two brunettes.

“The big ugly one mentioned that they would have gotten their lives for good if they had managed to kill Kahlan,” Cara pointed out as she placed one hand on Alys’s back to guide her towards the others. “Before Sarah shut him up pretty effectively, that is,” the blonde added as she spared a complimenting look at Sarah, who looked back at her mother proudly.

“How could Farkas grant something like that? Their lives back,” Kahlan wondered out loud. “Could Farkas be such a powerful wizard that he could do that?”

“Farkas probably can’t, not in a permanent way, but he could have made new friends here who certainly can do that,” Zedd chimed in with a knowing look.

“Darken Rahl,” Richard said somberly as the others nodded in agreement.

*****

“You have failed me,” Darken Rahl hissed menacingly, putting the soul of the once baneling on fire.

“I’m sorry, my Lord, we didn’t stand a chance,” he apologized in between screams of agony. “They bested us all in combat and that Mord’Sith looked like she was possessed, she came at us with a rage like a wild animal.”

“I see, Cara always did have a temper,” Darken Rahl agreed conversationally, renewing the flames on the dead man’s absentmindedly. “And I’m sure she didn’t appreciate you threatening her new lady love,” he said disgustingly. “For some reason blonde Mord’Sith were always the feistiest ones,” he smirked, turning away as if bored with the torture he was inflicting on the dead man’s soul.

“I’m not talking about the blonde,” the man corrected weakly, surrounding himself with his arms as if trying to protect himself from the flames. “I’m talking about the other one - the brunette with an anger management problem.”

“A brunette Mord’Sith? With my brother?” Darken swiveled quickly towards the man, a threatening ball of fire forming again in his hand. “A name?”

“I heard them call her Sarah,” the man quickly replied, eyeing the ball of fire with terror in his eyes.

“Sarah,” Darken rolled the name on his tongue and glanced away thoughtfully. “I’m sure my new friend Farkas will like to hear about this detail.”

*****

Kahlan served Alys a bowl of the hot stew Zedd had just made for dinner and smiled at the grateful blonde. Looking at the group gathered around the fire, welcoming the warmth and light, she noticed that there was still one absence.

Cara.

Looking in the direction of the trees, she could see the Mord’Sith’s straight back, alert to any possible danger. Kahlan smiled tiredly and put some stew in another bowl, and with one last glance at the chatting group she approached Cara with the steaming food.

“At least eat something,” Kahlan said as she offered the bowl to Cara, who smiled slightly and took it in her hands. “We haven’t been attacked again since this morning, why don’t you come sit by the fire and rest?” Kahlan suggested to the stubborn Mord’Sith.

“I don’t want to risk it,” Cara said, scanning the night around them. “Too many people want you dead and I’m not going to let that happen,” she added, turning to look into Kahlan’s eyes.

“They won’t get to me,” Kahlan brushed blonde locks from Cara’s face tenderly. “Not when I’m surrounded by all of you,” the Confessor pointedly looked at the circle of people eating and conversing around the fire.

“Okay, I’ll eat this sitting down,” Cara agreed after a moment, looking down doubtfully at the stew. “What weird root did the wizard put in today?” she asked with a scrunched nose.

Kahlan chuckled fondly and cupped the Mord’Sith’s chin, kissing Cara’s lips gently. She felt Cara’s gloved hand on her waist, warm from holding the bowl. Parting her lips slightly, the brunette let her tongue tease her lover’s full lips until Cara let her own tongue meet Kahlan’s for a slow and sensual kiss.

After a few moments of tender reassurance, Kahlan pulled back from the kiss and rested her forehead on Cara’s. Sighing with a content smile, the Confessor couldn’t help but peck Cara’s lips again and grinned when Cara placed a series of small kisses along her jaw.

“Let’s sit with the others,” Kahlan whispered, turning slightly to kiss Cara’s cheek. “Alys was telling Sarah about her adventures since she got here,” Kahlan chuckled, looking at her daughter and noticing that Sarah was gently scolding the little blonde about something. 

“We still have to discover a few things about those two,” Cara said as she too looked at the two girls bickering by the fire. “I’m getting tired of their half explanations,” she drawled and placed one hand on Kahlan’s lower back to gently guide the brunette towards the others.

“Maybe you could use your bluntness to ask a few questions,” Kahlan suggested with a teasing glint in her eyes as she looked at Cara’s smirking face. “Just don’t overdo it,” she added, chuckling when Cara’s expression noticeably fell.

As they got close to the fire, they looked at each other and shared a knowing look as they heard Sarah bluntly ask Alys some questions, her expression resembling Cara’s a lot. Sitting down side by side, both women joined Zedd and Richard in listening the conversation between the two girls.

“What were you doing in the Wizard’s Keep that time of the day?” Sarah asked Alys suspiciously. “Weren’t you supposed to be in the chair room, watching the Mother Confessor in her hearings and learning how to be a Confessor?” she grinned as Alys started to squirm awkwardly in her seat.

“I _was_ in the chair room,” Alys stammered, not fully meeting Sarah’s eyes. “But she told me I could leave,” Alys clarified, nodding in Kahlan’s direction.

“She would never just let you skip the hearings,” Sarah mused skeptically. “How did you get out of there, little thing?” Sarah pressed with a grin, knowing that the blonde wasn’t telling her everything.

“Stop calling me that!” Alys whined and hit Sarah in the arm, making the older girl chuckle. “I just told her I had to go to the bathroom,” she shrugged in fake innocence.

“I see, so you walked all the way to the Wizard’s Keep just to go to the bathroom?” Sarah said with a raised eyebrow. “You little liar,” Sarah chuckled. “You’re not supposed to deceive the Mother Confessor like that,” she mock admonished.

“I didn’t lie,” Alys shook her head. “If I had lied, she would have known and I wouldn’t leave the room for the rest of the day,” she said as her eyes widened in slight horror.

“When did you get so cunning?” Sarah nudged the blonde Confessor with her shoulder.

“From watching you do it all the time,” Alys deadpanned with a shrug, effectively wiping Sarah’s grin from the older girl’s face and making the adults laugh.

“Clever,” Cara commented. “Lying with the truth is the only way to lie to a Confessor,” she added, nodding approvingly at Alys, which got her shocked looks from both girls before they burst out laughing.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to encourage that type of behavior,” Kahlan reprimanded Cara, but wasn’t able to hide her smile as Cara actually considered this.

“Sitting hours on end while listening to people whine about anything and everything would bore me to death,” the blonde Mord’Sith said with raised eyebrows. “I can’t really blame Alys,” she shrugged.

“I just love it when you talk,” Sarah grinned widely and looked at Cara with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Yep,” Alys agreed, enthusiastically nodding her head. “I love the way you think,” she added, giggling when she saw Cara sigh in understanding and roll her eyes.

“Something tells me you’ll regret those words in the future,” Kahlan told Cara and chuckled when the older blonde shot her a mock stern look.

“Anyway, I don’t have to put any effort on deceiving you anymore,” Sarah said smugly at Kahlan. “Now I can’t just lie, because you can’t read me,” she said and looked victoriously at a frowning Alys.

“Since you both are disclosing your sneaky ways in front of me, doesn’t that mean that I will remember and probably do something about it in the future?” Kahlan pointed out with a grin.

Alys’s eyes widened and she quickly clamped her mouth shut with both hands, looking up at Sarah worriedly. The brunette Mord’Sith just stared at Kahlan for a moment, the cogs in her head working at full speed.

“I guess,” Sarah said finally, turning to look questioningly at Zedd. “But you don’t remember this, otherwise you would never let me or Alys get sucked into the past, you would have prevented it from happening,” she justified her reasoning and looked back at Kahlan.

“As I explained before,” Zedd chimed in. “The Triangle of Anuyr severs the space continuum, making our actions have no repercussion in the future until the time line is restored once again,” he said calmly. “Until that happens, our future selves won’t remember what happened here and no changes done here will happen in the future. We are as if in a limbo and I’m guessing we’ll stay like that until Farkas completes his mission and gets back to the future to use the Triangle to fix the tear he made in the fabric of time.”

“Either that, or,” Sarah mused. “We get back to the future to a day before all of this happened; that way we avoid it and we never come here in the first place,” she explained, convinced that that was the best option.

“That’s impossible, my child,” Zedd shook his head. “That’s not how the Triangle of Anuyr works; you can only travel in time in periods of years, so when you do go back to the future, the days you spent here would have passed in the future too. You’ll appear in the future exactly twenty years from the day we open the portal.”

“Wait, that means that whatever happened in the future since Alys and I got into the portal would still have happened?” Sarah asked nervously, her voice clearly quivering with each word and attracting worried glances from everyone. “We can’t go back and erase those days?”

“The only way you could try to prevent this from happening is by going to the future one year previous to the accident and warn someone about it.” The wizard theorized. “But that’s a dangerous thing to do, there’s no way to predict how that would interfere with the natural course of things,” Zedd frowned, clearly not inclined to pursue that option.

“I don’t care about the _‘course of things’_ ,” Sarah said angrily, getting up from her seat and pacing back and forth as her voice got firmer from the anger building inside her. “If it’s possible to do, that’s what we’ll do,” she stated assertively.

“What does it matter anyway?” Cara interrupted, wondering why Sarah was getting so upset about this. “Isn’t getting to your time the most important thing? What difference does a few weeks make?” Cara asked, standing from her seat.

“It makes all the difference,” Sarah shouted back, the tears visible sliding down her face.

Cara approached Sarah from behind and grabbed her upper arm. “Are you going to tell us why it’s such a big deal?” Cara asked, a little annoyed by the girl’s secrecy but also increasingly worried.

Sarah turned brusquely, wrenching her arm from Cara’s grip in the process, and pushed forcibly in the blonde’s stomach, making Cara take a step back.

“You _died_ in my arms that day,” Sarah said in a strangled whisper, tears falling freely down her face.

Cara stood looking in shock at the distressed teen. Instinctively the blonde embraced Sarah and held her daughter securely in her arms as the brunette cried. Looking back at Kahlan, the Mord’Sith could see a similar look of shock on the Confessor’s face. Kahlan swallowed hard, Sarah’s whisper being heard loud and clear in the silence of the night.

“Why did you die?” she pleaded desperately, hitting Cara on the shoulder. “Why weren’t you more careful? You are always telling me to not rush into things and you just went there without thinking and let the arrows pierce you!” she cried, hitting Cara repeatedly.

“You’re lying!” Alys shouted and ran towards Sarah before Kahlan could get a hold of her. “Tell me you’re lying!” the blonde girl begged as sunk her fingers in the teen’s leather.

“I’m so sorry, Alys,” Sarah whispered, kneeling down to be at the child’s eye level. “You have every right to me mad at me-“

“I am!” Alys sobbed and pushed Sarah angrily. “You hid this from me!” she shook her head; still not knowing if this was really happening or was just a really bad dream.

“Because I thought it could be fixed,” Sarah justified weakly, clearly hurt by seeing Alys so upset. “I thought we could-“

“She’s really…?” Alys interrupted in a strangled whisper and glanced at Cara, not able to utter the dreaded word.

Sarah just nodded remorsefully and opened her arms invitingly, the young Confessor wasting no time in falling in, sobbing painfully.

Kahlan swallowed her own tears, knowing by looking at the completely distraught girls and at a still stunned Cara that she had to be strong for them. The Confessor noticed Richard standing up to approach the girls, but she made him stop with a kind gesture and a grateful smile. Turning back to her lover, the brunette grabbed Cara’s hand and squeezed it tightly, showing the blonde that she was there for her and that Cara could lean on her. After Cara had squeezed her hand back with as much force, Kahlan kissed the Mord’Sith’s shoulder knowing that the blonde was not taking this news lightly.

Without letting go of Cara’s hand, Kahlan rubbed Alys’s back soothingly and shared a look of understanding when Sarah looked up at her. Nodding silently to the fire, Kahlan let Sarah know that they should sit and talk about what happened to Cara in the future. Knowing that the teen understood her plea, Kahlan whispered a few reassuring nothings to Alys and watched as Sarah effortlessly picked up the blonde child and carried her to sit on a log next to the fire.

“We’ll hear what happened from Sarah and then find out what we can do to prevent it from happening,” Kahlan told Cara in a clear but slightly shaky voice.

Cara looked into Kahlan’s eyes for a moment, drawing the strength she surprised herself by needing. The thought of dying had never bothered her before; actually, at times she would have welcomed it. But now, with Kahlan by her side and looking at Sarah, the thought of dying terrified her more than she dared to admit even to herself. Nodding slightly to acknowledge Kahlan’s words, Cara squeezed the brunette’s hand one more time and followed Kahlan to sit back by the fire.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Cara asked Sarah as she sat beside the girl.

Sarah just nodded and sniffled, kissing Alys’ head as Kahlan took the blonde child in her arms and sat down on Sarah’s other side. With one last look at Alys, Sarah turned to face Cara with eyes full of sorrow.

“You and I were there when Farkas shoved Alys into the portal,” Sarah started, her unfocused gaze shifting to the fire as she recalled what had happened. “We were walking through the halls of the Wizard’s Keep when we heard muffled noises coming from a chamber,” she paused for a second and glanced at Cara. “You told me to wait for you while you went to check on it, but I only waited for five seconds before I followed you,” she confessed and shrugged apologetically, making Cara nod encouragingly for her to continue. “When I turned a corner, I heard you scream Alys’s name and ran towards the sound. I saw when you were about to pass the threshold of the door…” her voice stated to quiver again. “Three quick arrows came out of nowhere and carved into you,” Sarah sobbed, reliving her mother’s death making the pain almost unbearable.

Cara pulled Sarah against her side into a comforting hug, letting the girl calm down a little before continuing. Lifting her eyes to Kahlan she could see the shimmering tear tracks on the Confessor’s apparently calm face as Kahlan repeatedly stroked her daughter’s golden hair. Shifting her eyes to Zedd, Cara noticed the pursed lips that often were a sign of the wizard being in deep thought about something. And Richard… she had to smile inwardly as she also spotted tear tracks on her friend’s face; hurt or not, Richard still cared a great deal about her. The blonde turned her attention back to her daughter and Sarah cleared her throat to continue speaking.

“Farkas threw Alys into the portal, following right behind her,” Sarah continued and looked back at Cara. “I caught you before you hit the floor… there was so much blood,” she shook her head as her eyes glazed with the memory. “You told me to help Alys and that you were proud of me, then you died in my arms,” she sobbed again, her voice becoming louder as she got more and more upset. “You just died and left me there. So, I did what you asked of me… I just jumped into the portal as it was closing to find Alys and get her home; so that you could be proud of me, because how could you be in that moment? I never saved you, I was too late, I let you die in my arms and all I did was watch you die,” she rambled as she sobbed, her desperation at not being able to save her mother clear in every word.

“I’m sure there was nothing you could do,” Cara tried to reassure, but Sarah was having none of it.

“We tried before to see if I could give the Breath of Life and I never could, but I didn’t even try it,” Sarah shouted frantically. “I watched you die and I didn’t even try to bring you back, I just jumped in the portal before it could close,” she explained, shaking Cara’s arm as if trying to convey the gravity of it with the gesture.

“You jumped to help Alys,” Cara grabbed Sarah’s arms and fixed her with her eyes.

“I left you, I didn’t try to bring you back,” Sarah repeated, shaking her head. “I have to try now, so what can we do to prevent it?” she desperately asked Zedd.

“I’ve been here thinking hard about it, my child,” Zedd said somberly, his eyes shining from the tears he was holding back. “There’s no ‘preventing it’, because it already happened,” he explained, his eyes trying to convey hope he couldn’t find anywhere. “We can’t avoid Cara’s death,” he stated sorrowfully.

“No! Think harder!” Sarah stood, her hands balling into tight fists. “There has to be something we can do,” she said, gritting her teeth as Zedd shook his head. “I don’t care what you say! Whatever it takes and however hard it may seem, I have to try,” she insisted defiantly. “I have to,” she whispered as a sob broke from her chest.

“Making you girls go back a year earlier is too much of a risk to take,” Zedd continued. “And knowing one’s future is no guarantee that we can prevent the same results, things can still happen, just in different ways,” Zedd explained, his frustration evident, but death was the one thing no one cold avoid.

“No, there has to be a way,” Sarah shook her head, distraught evident in her voice.

“You don’t understand, sweetie,” Kahlan said jumped in, trying to calm Sarah. “There’re some things we can’t mess with,” she said in a strangled voice, the thought of doing nothing to prevent Cara’s death breaking her, but if Zedd didn’t have an answer the hopes of one existing were very low.

“No,” Sarah refused to be consoled. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand,” she turned and pointed at Kahlan. “You think you feel bad now?” she asked. “Twenty years from now you’ll be _miserable_ after losing your family,” she forced out with a sob while pointing at Alys. “And I can’t leave you feeling like that, can’t you see? I have to help you too,” she said sadly, leaving Kahlan speechless.

“Sarah, this is not your weight to bear alone,” Richard interjected softly, trying to reassure the girl that she was not alone, although she seemed to think otherwise. “We’ll help you and Alys get back-“

“Will you help me bring my mother back to me?” Sarah interrupted harshly. Richard looked reluctantly at her; his lips pursed helplessly. “Then don’t say that you’ll help me, because getting home it’s not my biggest problem,” she shook he head with sadness filling her eyes. 

“Kahlan is right, child,” Zedd affirmed. “There’s just some things that, even if we can, we shouldn’t mess with, the consequences could be terrible,” he said under Sarah’s piercing gaze.

“You’re hiding something from me,” Sarah said surely. “What do you know, Zedd?” the teen insisted, her green eyes, even young, pinning Zedd to his seat.

“Zedd,” Kahlan said almost in warning, letting the wizard know her powers also had let her know with certainty that he was not sharing the whole truth of his knowledge.

“I suppose there’s always ways to bend time to our own liking,” Zedd admitted reluctantly, adding quickly as Sarah’s eyes lit up. “But those ways are dangerous and often do more damage than good,” he warned strictly. “Only someone as mad as Shota would attempt them,” he muttered almost to himself.

“Shota?” Sarah frowned, thinking why that name was so familiar.

“The Agaden Reach witch!” Alys jumped up from Kahlan’s lap in excitement.

“Agaden Reach,” Sarah muttered. “That’s in the Rang’Shada Mountains; we can go there,” Sarah turned to Cara with a hopeful smile.

“You’re talking madness, my child,” Zedd reprimanded. “Shota is not to be trusted!” 

“But if she knows a way we have to try!” Sarah stubbornly replied to the wizard.

“Sarah,” Cara said calmly. “Zedd’s right, that woman is a snake,” the blonde agreed, watching as Sarah and Alys’s face fell.

“I think we all need to cool our heads and rest,” Kahlan advised, resting her hands on Sarah’s shoulders. “Tomorrow we’ll see what we can come up with,” she assured the teen, relieved when the young brunette nodded.

“I’ll take the first shift,” Richard said with a sad smile. “You guys should rest,” he added as he walked towards the tree line, squeezing Cara’s shoulder in a show of companionship as he passed her. “We’ll find a way,” he promised, earning him a grateful nod.

She was still looking at Richard’s retreating form as a small body slammed against her legs. Looking down, she found Alys surrounding her legs with her arms and looking up at her with big eyes.

“Can I sleep with you?” the young Confessor asked, making Cara smile.

“I’m still not tired,” Cara said, kneeling down and continued as Alys pouted, “But I promise I’ll lay down next to you when I do feel tired, okay?” she promised and smiled again as Alys nodded with a small smile and went to Sarah’s side.

“Go sleep now, baby girl,” Kahlan cupped Alys’ chin and kissed her daughter’s face. “And you too, sweetie,” she stuck a strand of hair behind Sarah’s ear. “You’re exhausted, aren’t you?” she pointed out as Sarah nodded.

“We’re not done talking about this,” Sarah warned, looking from Kahlan to Cara and ended up staring at Zedd.

“The light of the day shall illuminate our minds,” Zedd agreed in his own way, making Sarah raise one eyebrow but ending up walking to her own bedroll, taking Alys with her.

“You should rest too, Zedd,” Kahlan said, noticing the wizard’s heavy expression due to the bad news.

“I should,” Zedd nodded. “My dear…” he hesitated as he addressed Cara.

“Not holding my breath for miracles, wizard,” Cara drawled and crossed her arms, knowing that Zedd wanted to comfort her and oddly enough, she welcomed it even if she wouldn’t let him finish.

“You’re certainly wiser than I gave you credit for when I first met you,” Zedd chuckled lightly and tapped Cara’s back amicably as he passed her by.

“Don’t hold your breath for a ‘thank you’ either,” Cara shot back and chuckled when all Zedd did was snort and lay down on his bedroll.

Kahlan rested her hands on the Mord’Sith’s crossed arms and got closer to the blonde. In the silence of the night, Kahlan looked into Cara’s eyes and told her with one look what a thousand words couldn’t even began to express.

“We’ll save you,” she promised, her throat closing from emotion. “I’m not going to lose you,” she shook her head in denial.

“I’m here with you now,” Cara replied, uncrossing her arms and circling Kahlan’s waist to pull the Confessor’s shivering body to her. “And I was never afraid of death,” Cara added.

“But you are now,” Kahlan stated softly as she circled Cara’s neck with one arm and stroked the blonde’s face with her hand.

“I don’t want to lose you either,” the Mord’Sith replied with a light shrug. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” she paused. “Except for my death,” she added in an attempt at bad humor, earning a soft glare from Kahlan. “All I know is that I don’t want to lose you,” she said and kissed Kahlan gently.

Kahlan tightened her hold on Cara and kissed the blonde back with more intensity. She could feel a tear falling down her cheek and smiled into the kiss as she felt Cara’s hand come up and swipe the tear away tenderly. Ending the kiss, the Confessor stood for a few moments, just looking into the green orbs she loved so much.

“We still didn’t clear up our suspicions about Alys and Sarah,” Kahlan said softly, stroking the back of the blonde’s neck. “One thing is safe to say, Alys was as upset as Sarah about your…” she trailed off, not comfortable with the subject.

“I noticed too,” Cara nodded, caressing Kahlan’s back slowly with one hand. “But I guess our questions will have to wait for tomorrow,” she said. “When the light of the day shines and fries our brains or whatever the wizard said,” Cara reminded, making Kahlan chuckle lightly.

“When the light of the day illuminates our minds,” Kahlan corrected with a smile, shaking her head fondly as the blonde rolled her eyes. “I love you,” she whispered adoringly.

“I love you too,” Cara vowed back as a true smile of happiness reached her lips before she captured Kahlan’s into a deep kiss.

Kahlan gave herself to the kiss, letting Cara feel her love with the sweet caress. Kahlan too had no idea what would happen in the future, but right here and now, all she needed to know is that Cara was safe in her arms.

*****

Zedd was focusing on the books in front of him when he felt something burn his chest. Alarmed, the wizard pulled at the necklace around his neck and brought out the amulet dangling from the thin golden chain. The amulet – a small orb – was glowing bright red and emitting heat.

“Berdine, quickly, sound the alarm,” he commanded to the already moving Mord’Sith. “Farkas is back,” he breathed out.

Berdine exited the Wizard’s Keep at high speed, reaching the doors she shouted to the nearby guard to sound the alarm. The soldier nodded curtly and immediately picked up a mace from the wall and banged the huge bell that was hanging from a wooden contraption. Only a couple of seconds after the first bang, a similar one was heard closer to the Palace, signifying that the message was spreading. In a matter of seconds, the bang of bells could be heard throughout Aydindril.

The deafening sound of the warning bells brought Kahlan to the window of the chair room. Outside, a mass of moving bodies and the sound of hurried steps and clicking metal could be heard as everyone rushed to their positions. Kahlan made a move towards the door, her mind telling her that she had to find Zedd when a body stopped her.

“You won’t leave this room, Mother Confessor,” Raina warned respectfully, preparing herself for the protests that were sure to follow her advice.

“I can’t stay here and do nothing,” Kahlan protested as expected. “Who knows what that wizard is up to-”

“Exactly, we don’t know what he’s up to; protocol demands that you stay here surrounded by the Home Guard,” Raina pointed out. “I have orders to follow, Mother Confessor,” Raina raised a knowing eyebrow. “You know what will happen to me if I fail, so please, let me keep you safe and avoid my certain punishment in case you walk through that door,” Raina said, managing to get a small smile from Kahlan.

Berdine busted through the door of the chair room without any care, approaching Kahlan quickly with a map in her gloved hand. The Mother Confessor quickly approached the out of breath Mord’Sith and took the piece of paper from her. The map showed all the Midlands; Aydindril proudly designed at the top, a small light clearly visible above it. Kahlan hurriedly discarded that map and looked at the other one, the one that showed Aydindril in more detail; sure enough, the same light could be visible a few yards outside the city walls.

“You know what to do,” Kahlan said simply as she looked at Berdine and Raina. The two Mord’Sith hurried to exit the room, not before Raina shouted orders at the Home Guard for them to keep the Mother Confessor safe.

Kahlan watched from her window as the party of guards and Mord’Sith rode as fast as the wind out of the city. After waiting for what felt like a lifetime, she finally saw the search party come back. Noticing that they only had with them what looked like to be a peasant man, Kahlan anxiously waited for the Mord’Sith to bring the prisoner to her presence.

The prisoner entered the chair room flanked by two Mord’Sith, who didn’t seem to shy away from poking him with their agiels, effectively hurting and unnerving the man. Seeing his red robes, Kahlan immediately recognized him as belonging to the Blood of the Fold. The smirk he had on his lips was already tauntingly showing her that he knew something but wasn’t going to tell her. Despite this, she looked questioningly at Raina and when the Mord’Sith shook her head in denial, Kahlan had her confirmation that he didn’t tell them anything.

Unfortunately for him, she had her way to discover the truth. Without giving the man a chance to open his mouth and say something that would certainly get him killed, she advanced upon him and closed her hand around his throat. Her blues eyes spiraled into black as she released her power, squeezing his neck with unnecessary force as she felt her power rob him of his free will and leave him a weeping mess on the floor.

“I’m sorry Mistress,” he cried. “He made me-“

“Silence,” Kahlan ordered, making the man whimper in fear. “Tell me everything you know about Farkas and his intentions,” she commanded firmly.

“He came here looking for Sarah. He wanted to know where she was and wanted the book,” the shivering man explained. “He wants you dead, Mistress. And I was helping him, I’m so sorry, please forgive me-”

“He wanted to know where Sarah is?” Kahlan’s eyes widened in surprise, ignoring his pleas.

The man nodded and was about to launch himself in a new round of apologies when Kahlan cut him off.

“What book are you talking about?” the Mother Confessor demanded.

“It’s a magically sealed book where Eratos, the leader of the Blood of the Fold, writes what’s going on here in Aydindril,” the enslaved man explained. “That way Farkas can come to this time to pick up the information and spend the minimum time here, preventing you from catching him.”

“And what was in that book?” Kahlan continued her interrogation.

“I don’t know, Mistress,” he shook his head desolately, upset that he could not give his Mistress the answers she wants. “I’m only in charge of giving it to him,” he said apologetically.

“He’s just the delivery man,” Raina voiced in frustration, she already suspected it since they had caught him in a small cabin outside the walls.

The Mother Confessor was about to condemn him to death when an angry agiel was viciously thrust against the man’s heart. The agiel was held against his chest for a few agonizing moments and only after his voice cracked from screaming did the weapon twist painfully on his chest and stopped his heart.

Kahlan wanted to think that the brief torture the man suffered before he died was a little too much, but the truth was that she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had no agiel to her heart, but the pain she was feeling surpassed the one that a thousand agiels could ever cause her, and for that she couldn’t feel anything but loathing for the ones who aided, even in the smallest of ways, in provoking the things that made her heart ache. 

“If he didn’t know where Sarah was, that means he doesn’t have her,” Berdine pointed out. “That probably means she’s safe,” she added optimistically.

“I really hope she is,” Kahlan swallowed hard, running her palm over her forehead in a gesture that was half worry and half relief. “Creator help me, I really hope she is,” she breathed out as her chest constricted once again at the lack of certain news.

*****

The camp was alive with activity as everyone packed their things to get ready for one more day on the road towards Aydindril. The morning light had brought nothing but a headache to Cara, contrary to Zedd’s promises about enlightenment. She had spent all night awake, her mind going through new and old information. Cara smiled as she recalled Kahlan’s tenacious will of staying awake as long as Cara was awake but after they had both snuggled next to Alys’s bedroll, as Cara had promised, and the blonde had stroked Kahlan’s long hair repeatedly, the Confessor ended up fast asleep in her lover’s arms.

Being the first to pack her bag, Cara walked towards the horses to load them with the extra cargo. As she approached the animals, the Mord’Sith noticed that Sarah was rummaging through the saddle bags, taking out one piece of paper and searching it intently. Looking closely, the blonde identified the paper as being one of Richard’s maps. Suspecting what coven hidden deep in the Rang’Shada Mountains Sarah was looking for, Cara approached her daughter and made her presence known.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the blonde asked suspiciously, startling Sarah out of her concentration.

“I was just looking at the map,” Sarah shrugged. “Curiosity,” she justified, meeting Cara’s eyes defiantly.

“You know, a Confessor can’t read a Mord’Sith,” Cara started calmly. “But a Mord’Sith sure can spot another Mord’Sith’s bullshit from a mile away,” she said, ripping the map from Sarah’s hands, knowing perfectly well what the girl was up to.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sarah shot back frustratingly. “Don’t you want to prevent your own death?” she asked in disbelief.

“I’ve been dead and I dislike the filth of the Underworld as much as anyone else, but some things, when messed with, do more harm than good,” Cara warned, pointedly lifting the map to Sarah’s eyes as she pointed to the lines representing the Mountains where Agaden Reach was. “If you go to that woman, alone above all, you could get yourself killed,” she said sternly, hardening her stare when Sarah rolled her eyes arrogantly. “And don’t you dare think you’re invincible; because that will only get you killed faster,” Cara admonished as she shook Sarah’s arm.

“But I have to try,” Sarah argued, desperately trying to convince Cara that they should go talk to Shota.

“You _are_ trying,” Cara said, once again lifting the map meaningfully. “That doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to let you accomplish it.” 

“But she could know a way to-“

“To take advantage of your foolish eagerness and grief to gain something,” Cara completed before Sarah could, sighing when the brunette frowned and looked away. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid,” Cara asked in a softer voice.

“Okay,” Sarah muttered, eyes glued to the ground.

“ _Look_ at me and promise you won’t do anything without consulting one of us first,” Cara stressed. “Or else I can guarantee you won’t leave my sight for _anything_ ,” the blonde’s eyes widening as she started to feel helpless before Sarah’s stubbornness.

“I promise,” Sarah shouted, meeting Cara’s gaze with teary eyes. “Happy now?” she said in a trembling voice, biting her lips to keep from crying.

“I’m a little more at ease,” Cara said softly, eyeing Sarah carefully. “We’ll figure something out, Sarah,” she said reassuringly, cupping the girls chin and brushing the tears away. “But we’ll do it the right way, with you alive to see it, okay?”

Sarah hiccupped and buried herself in Cara’s familiar arms. Unbeknownst to Cara, Sarah noticed with a sad smile that even if the blonde was twenty years younger and seemed to have an aversion to touch, she still hugged Sarah the exact same way; strongly and affectionately, managing to convey to the distressed girl that she would always be there for her, even when Cara wasn’t aware of that herself. 

Kahlan looked at Cara and Sarah and smiled as she helped Alys to get up on her horse. She couldn’t deny that she loved to see this side of the blonde, a side the tough Mord’Sith rarely showed and that both girls seemed to bring out. She shared a smile with Zedd and Richard, both men also noticing the way Cara was with Sarah. Richard was about to make a teasing comment to lighten the mood when a rustling sound was heard.

Everyone stood at attention and turned towards the sound. Sure enough, a group of rotten bodies could be seen emerging from behind the trees.

“Banelings,” Cara cursed as she let go of Sarah and readied her agiels. 

“These disgusting things just keep coming,” Sarah commented as she reached behind her back for her own agiels.

“Oh, hello there, murderer,” one of the banelings spoke right at Sarah. “Your mother asked me to say ‘hi’,” he smirked tauntingly as the color drained from Sarah’s face at the thought of her mother in the Underworld.

But before anyone could utter a word or make a move, an arrow pierced the baneling’s throat.

“Liar, like she would ever _ask_ ,” Alys quipped and winked at Sarah as the brunette looked back, reloading the crossbow she had found strapped to the horse.

Sarah chuckled and sent a mental thanks to Alys; the little girl had managed to fill Sarah with the confidence and the strength needed to not let her enemies get to her and fight them to the ground instead. As she charged against the banelings, she saw from the corner of her eye as everyone except Alys joined her in the fight. But she had to grin when she spotted the young Confessor expertly shooting arrows from the top of the horse.

As the banelings kept coming, the group had to disperse a little as they carved their victory body by body. Cara killed the last one facing her and looked over her shoulder to see Kahlan at her back, fighting the last of her opponents as Zedd scorched his way through the last of the undead. Cara looked frantically around to find Richard protecting Sarah’s back; but her eyes widened in fear as she witnessed a baneling disarm Sarah. The man was massive and quickly pinned Sarah to the ground; but before Cara could scream to get Richard’s attention, the young Mord’Sith somehow managed to reach for the baneling’s throat and, after a couple of seconds where they stood still, she flipped them over.

*****

“Do you know where Farkas is?” Sarah asked with rage, coughing as her chest was still recovering from having a giant man pinning her to the ground.

“No, Mistress,” the baneling said shakily, but before he could utter another word Sarah plunged her agiel in his heart, killing him in seconds.

“Useless,” Sarah spat, as she noticed Richard behind her. “He didn’t know anything,” she got up and turned to walk away.

“He called you ‘Mistress’,” Richard pointed out pensively, making Sarah stop in her tracks.

“I’m Mord’Sith,” Sarah stated simply while she turned around to face Richard. “What else would he call me?” she reasoned and forced herself to hold Richard’s curious look.

“Right,” the Seeker relented after a brief intense moment that seemed to last longer than it actually did. “Mistress Sarah,” he nodded slowly, his keen eyes never stopping searching Sarah’s face.

The teen just nodded curtly and hurriedly turned away without a glance back, but she did feel the Seeker’s eyes burning on her back.

*****

After making sure every baneling was dead, Alys slid down the horse, happy that she was able to help this time, and ran towards her mother. But suddenly a chill went down her spine and she looked up to see a similar expression of worry and doubt cross Cara’s face. The child turned around to pinpoint what was causing this unsettling sensation.

“Something’s wron-“

A metal snap was heard as a Rada’Han, seemingly coming from thin air, was placed around Alys’s throat and forcedly shutting the girl up.

“Alys!” Kahlan screamed and ran towards her daughter, but Cara’s hand on her arm stopped her.

“I knew I had felt magic,” Cara said through gritted teeth while a knife pointed at Alys’s throat materialized in front of them, followed by a laughing Farkas.

“Well, well,” Farkas snarled. “We finally meet, Mother Confessor,” he spat as he menacingly tightened his hold on Alys.

Kahlan froze as she finally faced the man who wanted to kill her. Looking right into the wizard’s eyes, she could see she was dealing with a mad man and she had to tread very carefully, or the one suffering would be the innocent little girl currently at the mercy of Farkas’s knife.


	19. Chapter 19

Clenching her jaw, Kahlan watched impotent how Farkas had successfully rendered Alys’s magic useless and had threateningly trapped the little girl between himself and a very sharp looking knife to her throat. Looking for a second over the wizard’s shoulder, Kahlan noticed various Mord’Sith coming from behind the trees and standing protectively around the mad wizard.

“You can avoid this, Mother Confessor,” Farkas said almost tauntingly as he sunk the knife on Alys’s flesh enough to draw a thin line of blood and a muffled whimper from the blonde girl. “I’ll let go of the little brat if you surrender yourself to my lovely helpers,” he said, nodding his head to the alert Mord’Sith around him.

“Don’t do it mommy,” Alys shouted and winced when she felt the bite of the blade on her skin again. “If you die, I’ll never be born anyway,” the blonde girl reasoned as she looked pointedly at her mother, trying to courageously convey that she would be okay somehow.

“No,” Kahlan refused resolutely, taking one step forward. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” the Mother Confessor stated, but before she could take another step, she felt a hand grab her wrist.

“Let her go,” Sarah said to Farkas menacingly, not yet letting go of Kahlan’s wrist.

“Oh, what a lovely surprise,” the wizard said with fake cheerfulness as he noticed who had appeared behind the adults. “A family reunion,” he continued smirking as he looked from the brunette Mord’Sith to an alert Cara slightly behind her.

“I said,” Sarah raised her voice. “Let Alys go, right now,” she said harshly, letting go of Kahlan and walking slowly in the wizard’s direction.

“Or you’ll do what?” the Mord’Sith standing guard closer to her dared, taking a couple steps to cut Sarah’s path.

“Kill you, if you try to get in my way,” the brunette evenly said at the Mord’Sith.

“You mean you’ll try,” the red clad woman smirked. “I bet it was you that killed the sisters that we found dead back at the temple, after you left with Garren to hunt the Confessor,” she accused, getting her confirmation in the proud look the brunette teen pierced her with. “But the touch of your agiels won’t be able to defeat all of us together,” she said, her keen eyes shifting for a second to the rest of the watchful women.

“It wasn’t the touch of my agiels that killed them,” Sarah said, her smirk rivaling the other woman’s as she closed her hand around the Mord’Sith’s throat so fast, the woman had no time to react. “It was the touch of my hand,” she finished as the irises of her eyes turned completely black and silent thunder crackled in the air. 

“Command me, Mistress,” the Mord’Sith begged in an adoringly tone as she fell to her knees, making all the other Mord’Sith draw their weapons and take a fearful step back.

“Creator,” Zedd whispered in awe of what he was witnessing and glanced at Kahlan to see her reaction.

The Mother Confessor watched speechless as the obviously confessed Mord’Sith tumbled to the ground in agony as the magic surging through her killed her slowly, the adoring eyes still locked pleadingly on Sarah, but the brunette cared for nothing except the unsurprised wizard holding Alys captive.

“Now there’s a trick I never learned,” Cara raised an eyebrow as she looked between the now dead Mord’Sith and her daughter; the teen had just killed the red clad woman by _confessing_ her nonetheless.

“I knew it,” Richard whispered to himself as he tightly closed his fist around the hilt of his sword. “I knew she had confessed that baneling,” he nodded to himself. 

Hearing Richard, Kahlan looked at him as if asking for someone else’s confirmation to her own thoughts. She noticed the hidden pain in the Seeker’s resigned eyes as he looked back at her and nodded curtly to her unspoken question. The power of confession belonged solely to the Confessors, watching Sarah use it, a Mord’Sith, brought to Kahlan’s memory the image of Alys deflecting magic to protect her. The little girl had been severely hurt, but she did successfully repel the magic, something no Confessor had the ability to do… only the Mord’Sith. _They clearly have both Confessor and Mord’Sith powers_ , Kahlan thought as she looked at Cara to find the blonde looking back at her with knowing eyes, undoubtedly having similar thoughts.

“I’m sick of your games,” Sarah said through gritted teeth, attracting everyone’s attention back to her.

“And what will you do?” Farkas smiled deviously. “Kill me like you killed your own mother,” he sneered.

“ _You_ killed my mother,” Sarah shouted angrily, making all the Mord’Sith standing guard take one step closer to her. “You are just a coward, trying to manipulate my emotions because you are afraid to face me directly,” Sarah lowered her voice, but gained a noticeably tone of authority.

“Coward?” Farkas snorted. “You are the one who ran into a portal instead of staying and facing that you were too weak so save your own mother,” he insisted on turning tables. “Not saving her when you could have, is the same thing as killing her yourself.”

Sarah smirked, not taking Farkas’s obvious bait to angry her.

“My mother always told me that hate comes from fear,” Sarah said calmly, pausing as Farkas grew slightly nervous. “I now understand what she meant,” she said looking pointedly at the wizard.

“I don’t fear you,” Farkas barked. “You’re nothing but a freak of nature that should never have been born,” he said as he tightened his grip on Alys.

“You don’t fear me?” Sarah asked, choosing to ignored the second half of Farkas statement. “Is that why you don’t attack me directly?” she said, looking around at the weary Mord’Sith around her. “I’ll tell you why, because if you aim your magic at me, you’ll have it ricocheting right back at you and if you dare come closer where my arm can reach you,” she paused, smirking menacingly. “I’ll have you enslaved to me for the rest of your miserable life.”

“You will _never_ rule the Midlands,” Farkas said angrily, clearly bothered by what Sarah was saying.

“The ruler of the Midlands sits in the Confessor’s chair,” Sarah interrupted, her voice rising above Farkas’s. “That means only a _Confessor_ is the rightful ruler of the Midlands. Right now, that duty and honor belong to Kahlan Amnel, Mother Confessor of the Midlands and _my mother_ ,” she stated, provoking a gasp of surprise in her travel companions, as they heard their suspicions confirmed. “When time comes for her to step down, I’m the next in line to be Mother Confessor; if not me, then my sister Alys and if not her, then there’ll be another Confessor to rule in Aydindril. You’ll _never_ get what you want,” she spat, becoming increasingly angrier.

“I think you’re wrong, girl,” Farkas nodded at the squirming Alys in his grip. “Looks like I’m on the right track to getting what I want,” he gloated, watching in delight as Sarah shook with rage while he held Alys close to him, using the child as a shield.

“Mother will have you locked down for the rest of your life,” Alys bravely said, trying to free herself from the strong grip she was being held onto.

An agiel connecting with her side startled her and made her scream in pain, but she gritted her teeth and looked daringly up at the Mord’Sith trying to subdue her.

“It’s going to take a lot more than that,” Alys smirked cockily, obviously not being as affected by the agiel’s pain as the red clad woman expected, especially from a little girl.

“No problem,” a voice said from Alys’s other side as another Mord’Sith stabbed her agiel in the little girl’s stomach and the screeching noise mixed with Alys’s own screams was deafening.

The pain suddenly ended as Alys saw both Mord’Sith fall to the floor, a dagger buried deep in each of their chests. Looking up with a tired smile at her mother, the blonde girl could see the determination in Kahlan’s eyes as she spoke.

“This ends now,” Kahlan said, her voice shaking slightly with mixed anger and fear for Alys’s life.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Cara said as she took a fighting stance beside Kahlan and looking to her right with a nod to the two men that joined her.

“I’m taking this child home,” Farkas said, looking at the leader Mord’Sith and tilting his head towards Sarah and her companions, in a subtle order to attack. “She’ll have the pleasure to die close to her home, unless the Mother Confessor decides to trade her own life for her dear little girl,” he warned, looking directly at Kahlan.

“I won’t let you hurt her,” Kahlan guaranteed, although apprehensive to make a direct attack, since the dagger to Alys’s throat was sure to move faster than her.

“Her fate is in your hands, Mother Confessor,” Farkas taunted yet again as his image, along with Alys’s, started to fade from everyone’s view while the Mord’Sith formed a protective line in front of him, preparing themselves to attack.

“You already took my mother from me,” Sarah said in an unsettlingly calm manner, looking at the dead Mord’Sith at her feet. “I won’t let you take my sister too,” she vowed, looking up suddenly at the wizard, her eyes two deep pools of black, and took off in the direction of the wall of red clad women.

“That can’t be good,” Alys whispered as she searched her sister’s eyes for the familiar spark of green but found only pure black rage in the normally friendly eyes. Sparing a glance up at the wizard holding her hostage, she couldn’t help but smirk at the look of terror she spotted on the man’s face as he also noticed Sarah’s dark eyes.

But before any of them could blink again, Farkas and Alys both vanished into thin air, not before the voice of the wizard was heard again, obviously directed at Kahlan “I’ll be close to Aydindril, waiting for your decision.”

Kahlan wasted no time in following Sarah against the Mord’Sith, with Cara close behind, readying her agiels for combat.

Richard signaled Zedd to stay behind, as his magic unfortunately couldn’t be of any help against Mord’Sith, and followed the two women a step ahead of him.

What happened next was too fast for them to comprehend immediately. As a rumbling dry thunder was suddenly heard, only their quick reflexes and Kahlan’s rapid recognition of what they were witnessing saved them from being harmed.

The Mother Confessor’s first reaction was to turn quickly around and shove Cara in the opposite direction, effectively throwing her lover away from Sarah and lowering herself in a pitiful attempt at self-protection.

Richard slide to a halt next to the fallen blonde and watched stunned as the dozen Mord’Sith that were closing in on Sarah suddenly fell to their knees after a wave of energy shot from the teen’s hands.

“Creator help us,” whispered a dumbfounded Zedd, squinting to look at Sarah as the girl turned to look at them.

Cara gasped, instinctively dragging herself further away, as she saw her daughter’s eyes, remembering the last time she saw the same dark orbs directed at her, with an intense rage fueling them, when Kahlan had learned the blonde had killed her sister.

And like that time, she heard Richard utter similar words next to her, “Cara, get back,” the Seeker warned, not sure if Sarah had any control over herself right now.

The blonde looked questionably at Kahlan that nodded her agreement with Richard’s words and voiced what every one of them were thinking. “She’s in the Con Dar,” she said, her voice trembling. “Stay away to be safe,” she told the increasingly upset blonde that was trying to get up and shove Richard away. “ _Please_ ,” she added, begging with her eyes for Cara to not do anything reckless and bid their warnings for once.

When Cara gave a curt nod and took some steps back, closer to Zedd and Richard, Kahlan turned around to face the shaking brunette, that by now had taken her black agiels back in her hands and was gripping them fiercely, her eyes surveying the red clad bodies on the ground, that died in agony under her will.

“Sarah,” Kahlan called softly, not wanting to startle the girl. “Sweetie, please look at me,” she continued, taking a few tentative steps in Sarah’ direction.

Sarah whipped her head around and fixed her eyes on Kahlan’s, the Mother Confessor halted her advances, lifting her hands in an appeasing gesture, knowing she had no way of stopping Sarah if she decided to attack her. 

“Sarah,” Kahlan tried again, praying the girl would be able to focus on her voice, but was quickly caught off by the girl’s outburst.

“ _What?_ ”, Sarah shouted, fury evident in her voice.

“Please, calm down, hear me out,” the older woman said calmingly, hopping to assuage the rage she could feel coming out of the girl.

“Hear you out?”, she chuckled humorlessly, taking a couple of steps closer to Kahlan, as Kahlan backtracked in response. “No, _you_ hear me out!” she clenched her jaw and breathed heavily. “My mother is dead, my sister is missing, I’m years away from anything and anyone I know, and you want me to _calm down_?!” she asked in disbelief.

“Sweetie, I know how you’re feeling,” she empathized. “But right now, you do need to calm down or you could do something unintentionally that you will regret,” Kahlan pointed out, watching as Sarah’s eyes shifted to Cara and the two men, obviously weary of her right now.

“I already did something I regret,” she returned her still dark eyes to Kahlan. “I may not have killed my mother, but I surely didn’t do everything in my power to save her,” she said, tears running down her face. “I won’t make the same mistake again,” she stated resolutely, looking around and whistling in calling to one of the horses, sheathing her agiels on the scabbards at her back and moving towards the approaching animal.

“Stop this instant, girl,” Cara shouted, after pushing Richard’s restricting hands away from her. “You are not going anywhere, least of all alone!” she said with authority, looking up crossly as the girl mounted the black horse.

“This time I won’t listen to you,” Sarah said icily. “That bastard will pay,” was all Sarah said in a rough voice before hastening the horse with her heels and galloping down the road.

“Get back here!” Cara shouted, trying to free herself from the grip around her waist, only noticing after a second that it was Kahlan and not Richard anymore that was holding her back.

“No, let her go,” Kahlan said, although the worry was very noticeable in her voice. “There’s no way we can reason with her now,” she said, looking at Cara. “Trust me, I know how she’s feeling, she’s lost in rage,” she sighed sadly.

“One more reason why we can’t let her go,” Cara said frantically as she hopelessly watched Sarah get further and further away from them.

“We won’t,” Kahlan said firmly. “We’ll follow right behind her,” she looked deep into Cara’s eyes, seeing how the blonde nodded in understanding.

“Then we better hurry,” Richard said while running towards one of the remaining horses, since the fourth had spooked and ran away. “She’s making that horse fly; we need to catch up.”

“We can’t let her arrive in Aydindril like that,” Kahlan reminded the others worriedly as she recovered her daggers from the Mord’Sith’s bodies. “She’ll get killed at the gate.”

“Then we’re already wasting time, let’s go!” was all Cara said as she mounted the other horse and pulled Kahlan up to sit on the saddle behind her. “Come on, wizard!” she hurried Zedd and he took his grandson’s hand to be pulled up behind him on the horse. They took off on Sarah’s trail, hopping they could save the girl from herself.

***************************

Kahlan sat on the Confessor’s chair, her eyes scanning the determined faces of her generals from the Home Guard and the Mord’Sith. Richard was also there, the ready hand on the Sword of Truth testimony of where he stood regarding the matter she was going to propose now. She looked at Zedd and could see the supportive look on his wisdom filled eyes; she had discussed it with him and he agreed there was no other option anymore, they were running out of time.

“Thank you all for coming here,” Kahlan started and received answering nods from everyone. “This situation is becoming unbearable,” she said as she looked out the window to the sea of red that could be seen outside the gates, as the Blood of the Fold positioned their troops. “My daughters have been taken by a wizard that is consumed by his thirst for power and wants to rule this city, our city,” she firmly said.

“A weakling who runs through the loops of time kidnapping children instead of facing us in battle,” Raina interrupted with a scowl, she was definitely getting tired of waiting and just wanted to kill someone, _do_ something.

“And the Blood of the Fold are even worse than him,” Richard added with a scowl.

“Farkas not only threatened our peace,” Kahlan continued, her voice noticeably getting stronger. “But he took my daughters away from me, he killed my wife and he laughs at us, thinking he is on his way to rule the Midlands,” she said, her eyes cold as ice in contrast with the fire boiling in her veins.

“Mother Confessor, he will have to kill us all to rule in Aydindril,” a general of the Home Guard said as he touched his heart with a fist in a show of loyalty and nodded in respect as Kahlan recognized his gesture with a nod.

“And we’ll kill anyone in our path to prevent him from harming our little princesses,” Raina said with a smirk and looked at Berdine to see her lover nod back at her in agreement.

“I thank you all for your loyalty, bravery and courage,” Kahlan acknowledged them with a thankful soft smile. “Confronting the Blood of the Fold in battle and force them to give us information about Farkas and how to get to him is our only hope now,” she said and paused briefly as she looked at Richard for moral support.

Going to war was the last thing she wanted. Until now, the Blood of the Fold didn’t attack them and she was thankful for that, it gave them time to research all the angles in how to get Farkas, thus preventing her people from being killed. But now, after Zedd and Berdine had gone through every book in the Wizard’s Keep, after countless spies sent to the Blood of the Fold, in the hopes they could get information, and after thousands of plans and ideas, Kahlan saw no other option to resolve this. When she sent word to Richard, he immediately came with an army to increase Aydindril’s numbers and she would now take advantage of that.

“My army and I are at your orders, Mother Confessor,” Richard acknowledged Kahlan by her title and bowed slightly in a show of respect and as I token of his unquestionable loyalty. He tried to reason with the Blood of the Fold, but unsurprisingly, the lunatics didn’t care for nothing but their prejudiced beliefs.

“I thank you Lord Rahl,” Kahlan smiled gratefully at her longtime friend. She had to admit that having Lord Rahl, and his mighty army, fighting for them, made her feel more comfortable when heading to the enormous battle she was sure they had ahead of them.

“The Home Guard will serve you and your family to the death,” the general said and took his weapon out, followed quickly by the other generals. “Our swords and our lives are yours, Mother Confessor,” they vowed and bowed together, the hilt of their swords close to their hearts.

“Me and my family truly appreciate it gentlemen’s,” Kahlan nodded and turned to look questioningly at the Mord’Sith.

“As if you need to ask, Mother Confessor,” Raina said with a smile. “We’ll get Sarah and Alys back home, where they belong,” she promised as Berdine just nodded at her side.

“Then let’s get to work,” Kahlan said. “We need a plan of attack and fast,” she said in a way of dismissing everyone.

The Home Guard and the Mord’Sith all took the cue and left the room to start planning the attack on the Blood of the Fold.

“You made the right decision, my dear,” Zedd smiled at Kahlan and put his hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “Get your army ready, we should attack soon. I’ll help with the strategy too, I’m sure my many years of experience count for something,” Zedd smiled and squeezed Richard’s shoulders.

“We can sure use your advice, Zedd,” Richard said to the old wizard before facing Kahlan again. “We’ll get the girls, I promise you that,” he resolutely said and walked out with Zedd to give their input on the strategy.

“They will be back with us,” Kahlan whispered, hope filing her heart like it hadn’t in a while. “I can feel it.” 

“Or I’ll rip this world and the next apart, until we have them with us again,” a voice behind Kahlan vowed with fervor.

***************************

The Home Guard was cautiously leading an old man who requested to speak with the Confessor ruling in Aydindril, saying that he had information of the utmost importance to the ruler. Entering the chair room, the guard at the front approached the head Confessor and bowed as he spoke.

“This man says he has information for you, my lady,” he delivered the message in a clear voice. “He requests that you listen,” he finished as he straightened himself and stepped aside so the man in question could be seen.

Dennee regarded the man with careful curiosity before addressing him in a gentle, yet firm voice.

“What is your name?” the brunette woman asked.

“Draco, my lady,” the replied as he approached.

“Speak your mind,” Dennee requested with a nod.

“My lady, I am but a humble servant,” the old man started as he kneeled before the Confessor, ruling Aydindril in the place of her sister. “I’m here before you to warn about a great evil that will be upon your doors,” he mysteriously said, looking up at the seated Confessor.

“What are you speaking of?” Dennee questioned.

“A monster will appear at Aydindril’s doors,” he continued, his eyes distant as he fixed them on the window to the side. “A twisted experiment made by our enemies…a _freak_ of nature,” he warned darkly.

“Speak clearly at once!” Dennee demanded, making the old man look up at her with glazed eyes.

“Darken Rahl has the Mother Confessor in his grip,” he revealed, watching as the color drained from the woman in front of him.

“My sister?” Dennee exclaimed, eyes wide with fear. “What has happened to her?” she all but commanded the man to speak.

“Darken Rahl’s sorcery has the Mother Confessor and her companions trapped in a powerful and dangerous illusion,” the old man explained with a painful expression on his wrinkled face.

“Darken Rahl is dead,” Dennee said suspiciously, her eyes searching the man’s but found that her powers didn’t warn her of any deceit.

“Don’t let yourself be fooled, my lady; his power all but grew with the Keeper’s help,” he clarified, shaking his head. “Darken Rahl controls many a sorcerer in this land that do what he commands.”

“Explain yourself,” Dennee got up and approached the man. “What is this evil you talk about and more importantly, what happened to the Mother Confessor?” she raised her voice, making every guard in the room take a threatening step closer to the old man.

“Darken Rahl, that monster,” the man spat. “He had a captive Confessor for many years. The woman became pregnant and her daughters used in a monstrous experience of Darken Rahl, not unlike all the others he was always prone to do,” the man paused for a beat, making sure he had the Confessor’s full attention. “After being tortured from a young age, these two girls, Confessors by birth, were broken into ruthless Mord’Sith who’s only goal is to serve their master,” he stated, much to the astonishment of everyone in the room. “A terrible fate, but the monsters they have become are not to be ignored.”

“How is that even possible?” Dennee questioned, thinking of all the possible implications this information might have. “How do you know of this?” she questioned.

“I was once caught on the grip of Darken Rahl myself,” he looked away, his look becoming once again distant and pained, seeming to be remembering old memories. “I saw terrible things, my lady.” 

“And my sister?” Denne brought the man’s attention back to her. “What happened to her? And what do these… girls have to do with her?” she questioned.

“The Mother Confessor is under a powerful spell, a dark spell,” he explained. “Darken Rahl trapped her in an elaborated fantasy, one that is meant to prevent the Mother Confessor and his companions to stand in the way of these young demons and furthermore, aid them with their goals,” he stated fervently.

“Stand in the way…?” Dennee mused. “Stand in the way of what? What do they want? What does Darken Rahl want?”

“To seize the power in Aydindril,” he revealed. “To destroy the home of the righteous as he is destroying everything else slowly, letting demons of all kinds run free in our world.”

“I won’t let anyone destroy this city,” Dennee vowed. “And as for this spell you talk about, how do we break it?”

“As any dark spell, for this one to be broken it demands blood,” the old man advised solemnly.

“Whose blood?” the Confessor asked apprehensively.

“The freak’s blood,” he said with vengeance. “You have to kill the cursed girl that will surely be upon your door. A Mord’Sith in possession of powers she should never have, even if it was once her birth’s right.” he said.

“How will I know who she is?” Dennee asked, the worry for her sister’s wellbeing as much as a priority as it was to save the city she ruled in the Mother Confessor’s forced absence.

“There’s no way the city will miss the tornado of hate and rage that will surely enter these walls,” he said with certainty.

“That’s what we shall see…” Dennee whispered to herself, her mind already working on ways to defend the city, it’s people and her own sister. “I thank you for this information old man, know that Aydindril will always be grateful,” she said as a way of dismissing him, nodding for the guards to escort him back outside.

No one noticed the malevolent smirk that contorted the old man’s face into a dark expression as he walked out of the room.

***************************

Sarah rode her horse almost to exhaustion in her need to get to Aydindril. Her thoughts focused on getting her sister from the grasp of Farkas as she rode, ignoring the dark cloud enveloping her senses but feeling exhilarated by the surge of power running through her veins. Nothing could stop her; nothing would prevent her to fulfill her mission, she couldn’t afford that luxury.

She looked back for a moment, smiling as she noticed that, for a while now, the others were not following her. They wanted her to stop, to calm down… how could she stop when her sister’s life was in danger? She would not stand by and do nothing this time, she couldn’t. Wiping angrily at the tears that fell from her eyes, she gritted her teeth and pushed her horse even more. She didn’t save her mother, she knew that, but this time, _nothing_ , not even her mothers would stand in her way to save Alys.


	20. Chapter 20

“We lost her!” Cara yelled in frustration as she searched the horizon in vain for Sarah. “She’s riding alone on a war horse, we’re ridding in pairs, no way we can keep up,” she sighed in defeat but refused to give up and pushed the horse under her and Kahlan to gallop more.

“We’ll catch her eventually,” Richard yelled back, pushing his horse just has hard but always keeping a securing hand on his grandfather robes behind him. “We know where she is headed,” he tried to reassure the worried woman.

“She’s headed into a heavily protected city,” Kahlan said, squeezing Cara’s torso as much to reassure the blonde as too reassure herself with the familiar touch. “If she arrives there in that state of rage, dressed as a Mord’Sith, they’ll shoot her before asking any questions,” she said, feeling Cara squeeze her arm and the horse pick up its pace in a herculean effort.

“She’s smart,” Cara said, worrying her lip. “Maybe she’ll stop to regroup and think about the best course of action,” the blonde said hopefully, but with little confidence.

“She won’t, Cara,” Kahlan denied, molding her front to the blonde’s back. “Not in the Con Dar; she won’t stop at nothing until she gets what she’s after,” Kahlan took a shuddering breath, grateful for the blonde’s comforting hand on her arm.

“Then _we_ will stop her,” Cara said, her eyes focused on the path ahead.

***************************

Alys turned away from the window she was looking out off, to face the door of the small cottage that had opened and closed behind her. At the sight of Farkas, she got up with every intention to hurt the man; but she didn’t get much closer, the chains binding her to the wall, preventing her progress, and the Rada’Han around her neck keeping her confession power out of her reach, didn’t let her do anything against the wizard. Despite all of this, she still could glare at the revolting man, which she did, using her best scowl.

Looking at the defying girl, the wizard just chuckled dismissively and looked straight into her eyes before speaking in a somber tone.

“I just killed your entire family,” he announced, evaluating the girl’s reaction to the news.

“I’m a Confessor, remember, you idiot?” Alys said, with a roll of her eyes. “I know you’re lying.”

“I see the effect of the potion finished then,” he said, smirking deviously as the blonde girl looked at him suspiciously. “Oh well, I already knew it wouldn’t last long, but it was long enough to fool the Confessor intended for,” he grinned, sure that his plan of deceiving the girl’s aunt had gone perfectly; now he just had to wait and let fear and suspicion do their part.

“What are you talking about, you dimwit?” Alys frowned, not liking the smirk of confidence she saw on the wizard’s face.

“Magic,” he simply said. “Always a trustful ally,” he nodded. “The powers you can acquire with the help of a Quillion and a willing Mord’Sith,” he mused, looking out the window to the tall towers of the city of Aydindril; so close to his grasp.

“You can look, but you can’t touch, right?” Alys taunted, noticing the wizard’s wishful gaze on the city ahead.

“I’m a lot closer to touching it than you think,” Farkas said mysteriously, not even sparing one look at the girl.

“Why did you throw me in that portal?” Alys questioned after a brief pause.

“It’s wasn’t my initial plan, but you just had to be a nosy little brat, didn’t you?” he looked sideways at Alys. “I couldn’t risk you blabbering about what you had witnessed,” he revealed. “And plus, it was a nice way to throw the Mother Confessor of her game,” he added.

“You just didn’t count on me raining on your parade and protecting her from your attack, did you?” Alys said smugly.

“I have to admit that was unexpected, seeing you there. My wizard’s fire ended up not hitting the mark after all,” he said slowly, turning his head to look at the blonde. “I guess I have better aim with a crossbow,” he smirked insinuatingly, watching as Alys’s smug expression gave way to one of shock and understanding.

“You’re the one who shot my mom,” Alys whispered brokenly, searching the wizard’s eyes for a sign that what he was saying was false, but finding none. “You killed my mom, you monster!” she said louder, tears starting to fall from her eyes as she forced her restrains in a hopeless effort to get to the wizard.

“Yes, I did,” Farkas grinned victoriously. “That arrogant woman got what she deserved,” he provoked the increasingly upset girl.

“Mother won’t let you win,” Alys said vehemently, her chin trembling as the tears kept falling.

“Your mother won’t have a choice,” Farkas said. “She’ll meet the same fate as that Mord’Sith pet of hers,” he vowed, taking a menacing step towards the upset girl. “Not so smug now, are we?” he mocked, looking at the crying girl with disdain.

Alys recoiled from the wizard instinctively. She forced herself to keep her eyes on the wizard’s in hopes that her power would let her know he was lying, that he hadn’t fatally pierced her mother with arrows, that she would get to the future and Cara would be there with open arms to welcome her. But he wasn’t lying; her mom was dead and had succumbed as she tried to save her from falling through that portal. She had a childish hope that her sister had misjudged what had happened and her mother was not really dead, but as she looked into Farkas’s eyes, she couldn’t deny the veracity of the wizard’s words. 

The wizard walked out the door with one last triumphant look at Alys and the girl fell to her knees, crawling slowly to the corner of the house. She sat with her back to the wall and hugged her knees to her chest, sobbing into her folded arms, trying to provide herself a small amount of comfort. But her little arms didn’t compare to the strong and comforting ones she craved; with a pained whimper she realized those arms wouldn’t be waiting for her at home and wouldn’t hug her close anymore; those arms wouldn’t comfort her ever again.

***************************

Sarah approached the gate of Aydindril without slowing down. Expertly, she took notice of the various guards on the wall, which noticing her approach shouted out for her to stop and identify herself. When she made no move to slow down, she watched as they raised their crossbows and readied themselves to shoot at her.

The furious brunette didn’t even blink as she raised her arm towards the top of the wall, where the guards stood, and let the wave of fury building inside her be released. She watched unconcerned as all the men dropped their crossbows and just stared devotedly down at her. She slowed her horse just long enough to shout an order.

“Open the gate!” Sarah commanded, her eyes scanning for any danger.

At her words, the confessed guards hurried to open the gate and watched as their mistress entered Aydindril at great speed. They only teared their eyes from the black leather clad Confessor when other guards came with crossbows after witnessing what had happened, their intent of shooting the brunette evident.

Sarah swerved just in time to avoid an arrow pierce her head, but not fast enough to avoid a cut to her cheek. She looked back at the gate walls and saw as the man she had confessed lunged at the others, in an attempt to prevent them from hurting her. Watching a confessed guard kill another to protect her stirred something inside her, but as soon as she felt it the rage spiraling in her chest drowned the sensation away quickly. She turned to look at the path ahead of her but not before hearing the bells of the city sound in alarm.

Galloping through the city streets, she managed to avoid many guards in her intent to get inside the Confessor’s palace. When she arrived at the tall doors, Sarah halted her exhausted horse and dismounted, looking around her at the various guards that immediately surrounded her. She smirked as she recognized the Home Guard, she knew these men would stop at nothing to prevent her from entering the palace to search for her sister.

Sarah grabbed the agiels nestled at her back and brought them together to form her trustful staff. Confidently, she engaged the guards in combat, fighting to get through the gates. She could see the fear in the man’s eyes as they looked closely at her black ones. She felt the tingling of magic been conjured behind her and, reflexively, she turned around to repel it; the wizard that tried to attack her from behind been blown through the air as the blast of energy hit him instead. With a speed and strength she had never felt before, she struck blow after painful blow until a sting on her neck slowed her movements. She felt her vision blurry and her increasingly uncoordinated limbs fail her completely. The last thing she saw before hitting the ground was the face of her aunt looking down at her with cold eyes.

***************************

They slowed their horses to a stop in front of the massive gate, looking up at the guards on the wall. Judging by the multiple crossbows that immediately were aimed at them, it was safe to say the men were in a high state of alert. 

“Either Aydindril had an increase of criminal activity lately,” Zedd mused, surveying the guards on the wall. “Or Sarah got here already,” he guessed, watching as Kahlan dismounted from behind Cara.

“Put down your weapons,” she ordered with authority. “And open the gate immediately,” she continued, the white dress and her regal stance not leaving any doubt about who was addressing them.

“Open the gates, right now!” the guard, that looked like he was in charge, shouted. “It’s the Mother Confessor,” he announced as the rest of them put the crossbows down and adopted a reverent pose.

When Kahlan was sure her order was being followed, she turned and walked back to the horse. As she approached the animal, she couldn’t help but notice the way Cara was looking intensely at her. Even when she mounted the horse, the blonde turned her head back to keep following Kahlan with her eyes.

“What?” the brunette asked, a little self-consciously.

“It never ceases to amaze me how much power you command with your presence alone,” Cara said, her eyes roaming down Kahlan’s front. “It’s incredibly hot,” she revealed as her intense eyes shot up to Kahlan’s.

“Get through that gate and maybe sometime I’ll show you how well I can command _you_ ,” Kahlan whispered hotly in the blonde’s ear, noticing the Mord’Sith shiver, in what she was sure was anticipation.

“Yes, Mother Confessor,” Cara readily agreed, a pleased smirk on her lips at hearing the insinuating promise.

Cara guided the horse through the streets of Aydindril, in the direction of the palace, noticing how the people came to them to greet and praise the Mother Confessor, but eyed the blonde suspiciously… certainly wondering why a Mord’Sith would be riding with the Mother Confessor.

“These people look like they’re ready to shoot me with an arrow,” Cara commented dryly, restraining herself from letting the horse trample everyone in her anxiousness to find Sarah.

“They won’t,” Kahlan said as she smiled down at her people. “Just because they wouldn’t risk shooting me by mistake,” she added and felt Cara chuckle in front of her.

“I see the news of your arrival travelled fast,” Kahlan heard Richard say as he motioned her to look at the steps of the palace where they could see Dennee descending rapidly to meet them.

Kahlan smiled widely at the sight of her younger sister, although the features were now different than those she was familiar with all her life, she could look into the blue eyes and have no doubt it was Dennee.

“Little sister,” she called happily as she dismounted and met Dennee halfway to envelope her in a tight hug. “I missed you so much,” Kahlan said as she cupped her sister’s cheeks to look at her happily.

“I missed you too,” Dennee said with a smile, but Kahlan could see the worry behind the other woman’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Kahlan asked, dreading the answer would reveal something bad about Sarah.

“That’s what I should ask you,” Dennee replied, looking at Kahlan closely and then scanning the others behind her.

“What do you mean?” Kahlan asked and looked behind her, watching as her companions dismounted and approached them. She gave Cara an encouraging nod as she noticed the Mord’Sith staying a little behind on purpose.

“Let’s get inside, we’ll talk there,” Dennee advised, receiving nods from the others. “Even you,” she added coldly as she looked pointedly at Cara.

Cara sighed and followed them inside, it wasn’t as if she were expecting a hug from the woman she had killed long ago, but she hopped this animosity would not be an obstacle on her relationship with Kahlan. Looking ahead she noticed Kahlan looking back at her, the smile the brunette sent her way was one that calmed her nerves and reassured her that the feelings they shared were stronger than the past. Smiling back, she wondered if Kahlan could read her mind.

***************************

Sarah woke with a start and opened her eyes. Blinking a few times to disperse the grogginess still clouding her head, she sat up and looked around her. Frowning, she noticed the stone walls, the cold and damp floor under her and the bars from ceiling to floor that replaced a door, as well as smaller ones that made a window. _I’m in a cell_ , Sarah concluded. She stood up and groaned as pain shot through her body; whoever carried her here was not gentle in putting her down on the floor.

She tried to remember what had happened before she woke in this place, but all she remembered was Farkas taking Alys. She remembered getting really mad and something inside her snap, but details eluded her.

Walking towards the cell door to look for some clues to her whereabouts, Sarah saw the two guards standing alert outside her cell. Immediately recognizing the armor of the Home Guard, she knew she was in the dungeons of the Confessor’s palace; and judging by the safe distance the guards were careful to keep from her cell door, Sarah assumed they knew she was a Confessor.

“Hey,” she said, trying to engage the guards. “I want to talk to whoever put me in here,” she asked, but the guards only glanced briefly at her and turned their backs once again. “I guess I’ll wait, then,” she sighed in defeat.

Sarah sat on the flat wooden surface that must be what passed for a bed in here. Keeping herself alert to listen for clues, she supposed she was at least still in the past, or else she wouldn’t be held captive at her own home. Noticing one of the guards give another a folded paper, she guessed whoever put her in here was being informed she was awake. All she could do now was wait and take the first opportunity she had to get out.

***************************

Dennee entered the chair room, followed by the recently arrived party. The room was flanked by several members of the Home Guard, standing at attention along the walls. Next to the Confessor’s chair, were three men, that by the robes they sported, were most definitely the wizards that were part of the council at Aydindril.

“Seize her,” Dennee commanded, without even glancing back, as soon as she got close to the Confessor’s chair, at the head of the room.

A second after the Confessor’s command, Cara felt a punch to the face and two armored men grabbing her arms, as two others had crossbows pointed at her head.

“No!” Kahlan shouted as she ran back towards Cara. “What do you think you’re you doing!? Release her at once,” she ordered the guards, but frowned seeing as none of them flinched.

“Don’t bother, Kahlan,” Dennee said behind her. “If any of you tries to do something…” she warned, looking at her sister before shifting her eyes warningly to Zedd, who apparently was opting for caution. “…these men have orders to kill her where she stands,” the Confessor continued, eyeing Cara with something akin to disgust and shooting Richard a warning glare until he put down the sword that he had instinctually raised to defend his friend. 

“Why are you doing this?” Kahlan demanded, crossing the small distance towards her sister.

“I need to know you’re safe,” Dennee explained, looking at the other three wizards present in the room as if looking for some reassurance that she was doing the right thing, which she received as they nodded encouragingly. “And I’m not entirely sure she doesn’t have anything to do with what’s going on,” she pointedly looked at Cara.

“Why wouldn’t the Mother Confessor be safe with us?” Zedd questioned calmly, knowing that there were enough hot tempers in the room already, and observed his fellow wizard colleagues.

“I wasn’t referring to you and you know that wizard,” she clarified, looking from Zedd to Cara. “I want to know why you are here,” Dennee questioned Kahlan.

“I need an ulterior motive to come _home_?” Kahlan asked in bewilderment, her eyes searching her sister’s for some clue to this cold behavior.

“Just answer the question Kahlan,” Dennee insisted, keeping her eyes on her older sister. “Please,” she added, her voice weakening slightly.

Perceiving the nervousness in her sister and glancing at the other wizards that also seemed to be waiting for explanations, Kahlan sighed and decided that talking would be the best way to dissipate whatever misunderstanding this was.

“We’re here looking for someone,” Kahlan started. “A girl,” she continued, noticing a spark of realization in her sister’s eyes. “You know who I’m talking about,” the brunette stated.

“A girl did enter Aydindril not too long before you arrived,” Dennee revealed carefully. “She forced her way in to be more precise, by confessing and killing the guards nonetheless,” she continued, watching Kahan’s reaction closely.

“Her name is Sarah,” Kahlan interrupted, knowing the girl was probably still under the effects of the Con Dar. “She’s… It’s a long story,” the Mother Confessor said, turning to look back at a still captive and surprisingly patient Cara. “Release Cara, we’ll explain it all to you,” Kahlan said, but frowned when she noticed Dennee hesitate. “Dennee, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Dennee sarcastically asked. “A _Mord’Sith_ in the _Con Dar_ barges through Aydindril, kills my men and tries to force herself inside the palace before I had a poisoned dart knock her out and locked her in a cell, and you ask _what’s wrong_?” she said. “Who in the Creator’s name is this girl?” she demanded.

“She’s my daughter,” Kahlan answered simply as Dennee eyes widened in shock. “She’s both a Confessor and a Mord’Sith,” the brunette explained.

“I know this must be really confusing for you, but let us explain,” Richard started to say.

“You’re mistaken,” Dennee interrupted him. “I think you’re the ones who are confused,” she turned her gaze pointedly back to her sister. 

“Wrong,” Cara addressed Dennee in a dry tone, her patience clearly wearing thin with the situation. “And the longer you take to get that through your skull, the longer we’ll be here wasting our time instead of helping the girls,” the blonde huffed, clearly not amused with the treatment she was getting. She expected a cold shoulder, but this was pushing it.

Dennee just stared at Cara with hardened eyes, the hatred she had for the blonde Mord’Sith ever alive inside her. She still couldn’t forgive the blonde and wanted revenge for what had happened in Valeria; it was hard to swallow that her sister protected this monster.

“And why are you so interested in helping this girl?” Dennee asked the Mord’Sith with a false smile, noticing how the blonde said _‘girls’_ , but letting that detail slide for now. “Is it because, by any chance, you were the one to break her?” she accused, thinking that it could very well be a possibility. She always thought Cara wormed her way into the Seekers band for a twisted reason… maybe she had found it.

“I would never break my own daughter,” Cara stated, sneering at Dennee and tried to free herself from the men restraining her, but one look at Kahlan’s concerning eyes and another at the two crossbows aimed at her made her reconsider.

“She’s _your_ daughter now?” she chuckled and turned to Richard. “As I said Seeker, you are all very confused,” she tilted her head patronizingly.

“Sarah is both mine and Cara’s daughter, she travelled back from the future,” Kahlan said calmly, knowing that if her sister was doubting their story before, this would not help matters. “Dennee, please, I know this sounds preposterous and unexpected, but it’s nothing but the truth,” Kahlan tried once more to reason with her increasingly upset sister. “Look at me, you can tell I’m telling you the truth,” she pleaded.

“You _think_ you’re telling me the truth, _that_ I can see. But this is not only ridiculous, it’s fake too,” Dennee said with a certainty that worried Kahlan. “Next thing you’ll tell me is that you’re in love with her,” she chuckled humorlessly and looked at Cara with disdain, missing the knowing looks that passed between Kahlan, Richard and Zedd.

Cara knew she should just stay put and let Kahlan deal with her sister. She knew provoking Dennee would not help the situation. But she was still Cara… so she couldn’t avoid the smirk and knowing raised eyebrow when Dennee looked at her, effectively removing the mocking smile from the Confessor’s face.

“We’re together,” Kahlan confirmed calmly and simply.

“Excuse me?” Dennee said, eyeing her sister closely.

Kahlan sighed as she readied herself for what she knew would not be acceptance, but strengthened by the thought that she would never hide her relationship with Cara. The Mord’Sith made her happy and she was proud to have such an amazing woman by her side; Dennee would just have to see it too.

“We’re together,” Kahlan repeated, looking her sister in the eyes and watching as the blue orbs widened in shock.

“What do you mean ‘ _together_ ’?” Dennee asked with some hope her sister didn’t mean what she dreaded.

“I’m in love with her, Dennee,” Kahlan smiled softly, watching as the brunette Confessor started to pace.

“She _killed_ me, Kahlan,” Dennee shouted, having less and less doubts that her sister was indeed under a very powerful spell.

“And she regrets it,” Kahlan said more forcedly, understanding her sister’s reaction but not backing down. “She apologized to you,” the brunette reminded. “I never heard her apologize to _anyone_ ,” Kahlan pointed out.

“Oh, and that’s supposed to make me feel special?” Dennee said sarcastically, walking towards Kahlan. “She’s a monster Kahlan, she always will be,” she stated as she stood in front of her sister.

“You couldn’t be more wrong, Cara is no monster,” Kahlan said firmly. “She is a woman of honor, who was once just a tool in the real monster’s hand. I trust her not only with my life, but especially with my heart,” the brunette said fervently. “I won’t ask you to support my relationship with her, knowing how much you suffered by her hand and the other Mord’Sith, but I would ask you to respect it and try to put your hate aside,” Kahlan said more gently as she grabbed Dennee’s hand. “You’re my sister, I love you so much, but you need to understand… Cara is my family too, one I chose,” she finished, cupping her sister’s cheek and wiping a tear that escaped Dennee’s eyes.

“That old man was right,” Dennee chuckled humorlessly and shook her head. “It must be some powerful spell you’re under,” she raised her brow in disbelieve.

At Kahlan’s confused look, she continued.

“You are my dear sister Kahlan, I will always love you,” Dennee said, looking into Kahlan’s eyes. “And this is why I will help you now more than ever, when you can’t even see in how much danger you are in,” she said, squeezing her older sister’s hand.

“What spell are you talking about?” Zedd asked, his eyes narrowing.

“We think the four of you are under a powerful illusion spell, my friend,” Thoros, one of the wizards addressed Zedd in clarification.

“There must be a misunderstanding here, Dennee,” Kahlan shook her head in confusion. “We are under no spell and we are not confused about anything,” she explained, looking back at Cara and taking strength in the private smile they both shared.

“My feelings for Cara are true,” Kahlan continued, smiling. “And apparently they will remain so, many years from now, since we have two daughters together, one being Sarah and the other, Alys, with just ten years old, is currently being held captive by a wizard named Farkas,” she kept explaining, hopping her sister would stop her assumptions and just see things her way. “And I’m sorry to sprung all this on you little sister, I know this is a lot to take in, but my daughter is in danger as we speak and we can’t waste any time,” the brunette said, her voice trembling slightly in worry. “I need you to help me,” Kahlan stressed.

“This is nonsense,” Dennee said almost in a whisper, shaking her head slowly and releasing her sister’s hands.

“We can agree on that one,” Cara quipped dryly, looking with disdain at the guards around her. 

“I would know if we were under any kind of spell,” Zedd said, looking between Dennee and his colleagues.

“Like you knew when Shota spelled you with a persimmon?” Estalt, another wizard, pointed out, making Zedd look down in shame. 

“Let’s all calm down,” Richard said pacifyingly. “Dennee, call your men off, Cara will not arm anyone, you know that,” he asked.

“What I know makes me not trust your judgement right now,” Dennee said, not wavering. “But nonetheless you are the victims here,” she conceded. “Or most of you are,” she added, still looking at Cara with suspicion, but signaling her men to step down.

As Cara shrugged off her captor’s arms, she wasted no time in getting protectively closer to Kahlan.

“You mentioned an old man?” the Seeker recalled. “Is that who told you that we were under a spell?” he questioned.

“Yes, Draco was is name, he came here to warn us about a girl, a freak of nature as he put it, that would arrive in Aydindril to cease the control of the city,” she explained.

“And you believed him? A stranger?” Kahlan asked with surprise. “Why would a teenage girl want to control Aydindril? That makes no sense,” she shook her head.

“And why would a teenage girl _attack_ Aydindril?” Dennee rebutted without missing a beat. “If she had good intentions, she would have walked through the gate like any other person,” she said. “But she confessed and killed guards, nearly killed Bryus too,” she added, pointing at the wizard next to her that instinctively reached for his head as if still feeling the force of the clash against the stone pillar, after Sarah had turned his magic against him. “Besides, I perceived no deceit in his words.”

“Sarah was not herself,” Richard insisted. “I’ve seen Kahlan in the Con Dar, reason and self-control go out the window,” he explained, watching Dennee purse her lips, she knew he was right.

“That may well be, but we believe the girl is nothing but a tool,” Thoros elucidated, his furrowed brow denoting the worry he felt. “A Confessor broken into a Mord’Sith to do his master’s biding, to be a marionette in Rahl’s hand,” he elaborated, crossing his arms.

“That’s ridiculous! Sarah got her powers from a spell, not by being broken,” Cara scoffed, rolling her eyes at the wizard. “And what has Darken Rahl got to do with it?”

“He is the one behind the scenes,” Estalt clarified. “A man powerful and mad enough to pull off something atrocious like this.”

“How do you know she was not broken?” Dennee asked purposely.

“She told us,” Kahlan defended the girl. “She said that by the use of a spell, an ancient spell found in Panis Rahl’s documents, she was able to be born with both Confessor and Mord’Sith power; her mother’s powers,” she explained to her sister and the wizards, motioning to her and Cara.

“She told you…” Dennee repeated with suspicion. “And pray tell dear sister, how exactly can you be sure that she’s telling you the truth? You can’t read a Mord’Sith,” she pointed out, watching has Kahlan’s face palled slightly, knowing she indeed could not read Sarah.

“But I can read Alys,” Kahlan quickly said. “And she tells the exact same thing as her sister,” she nodded.

“According to you, she’s just a little kid,” Dennee retorted. “She probably can’t even reach the full potential of her powers yet; and could very well been manipulated into believing whatever tale Darken Rahl fed her,” she said.

Kahlan refused to believe all this, but then again, she couldn’t totally disprove her sister’s logic. She remembered how Alys had severely burnt her hands and passed out as she repelled magic to save her in the woods; it was clear that the girl didn’t have full control of her Mord’Sith powers; and yes, she was still a little girl, sometimes she looked like she was just on an adventure.

“Sarah never once tried to attack us,” Cara interjected, remembering that first encounter where she couldn’t help but notice that Sarah was always in a defensive stance, never making an offense move.

“She would have to be suicidal to attack the Seeker, the Mother Confessor, a Mord’Sith and a Wizard of the First Order,” Estalt said, with a tilt of his head. “Not to mention that the man that warned us said part of the plan was having you all help these girls, hence the illusion spell, to make you think they are someone they are not,” he concluded.

“But we met Alys long before we ever crossed paths with Sarah,” Kahlan reminded them, desperately trying to make the wizards and her sister change their minds. “She was just lost and needed our aid,” she looked at Richard for help and saw the narrowed eyes that she was certain to be the reflection of the Seeker trying to get to the truth.

“And what a wonderful way to distract the Seeker from the quest at hand,” Dennee commented. “A helpless little girl, supposedly with blood ties to you,” she said looking at Kahlan. “Also, I assume the sudden change of affections between you,” she said, looking from her sister to Cara and Richard. “Had some effect is destabilizing the group,” she guessed, seeing the uneased looks on the others faces.

Kahlan sighed and rubbed her forehead with her hand; this was definitely getting out of hand. Her sister and the council were convinced of something that she knew in her heart wasn’t true. Their reasoning seemed grounded on logic, but it couldn’t be true; or could it?

“We learned that these girls are the daughters of a Confessor Darken Rahl held captive,” Thoros recounted what Draco had relayed to them. “We are all very aware that Rahl had an inkling to meddle with various experiments, often appalling ones,” he recalled, noticing an expression of recognition on the other’s faces.

“The children,” Cara whispered almost to herself, but nonetheless attracting the attention from the others.

“What children?” Dennee asked.

“An old friend of mine, that had been a prisoner of Rahl’s, told us recently that Darken Rahl impregnated his Mord’Sith and then spelled them in hopes the children would be born with their mother’s power, Mord’Sith power,” Zedd informed reluctantly. “There’s no confirmation that he ever succeeded, though,” he quickly pointed out.

“If he tried that but didn’t succeed, he could very well get a child from a Confessor, that would already have Confessor’s powers, and then break her into his submission the ordinary way,” Richard theorized, following his grandfather’s line of thought. “And that way, have a Mord’Sith loyal to him with Confessor’s powers,” he concluded, regretfully finding that what the wizards were saying might not be so ludicrous after all.

“A Confessor with a claim to the throne of Aydindril, if for some reason me and my sister died,” Dennee stressed.

“Are you all mad?” Kahlan gasped. “Listen to yourselves!” she shouted, refusing to believe any of it and looking to Cara for support; but she frowned as she saw her lover’s eyes fixed on the floor pensively as she worried her lip.

“Kahlan,” Richard tried to appease, reaching for the brunette’s arm. “We have to ponder everything,” he flinched when Kahlan ripped her arm from his comforting touch.

“Why now then? Why would Darken Rahl try to get the throne of Aydindril now?” the Mother Confessor continued, looking around at increasingly more doubtful faces. “Why not wait for the girls to get older?”

“You mean when the Mother Confessor is away from Aydindril in a never-ending quest, while the dead wreak havoc on the world and the land is divided in conflict while there is no one on the throne of D’Hara?” Dennee asked matter-of-factly, effectively silencing more arguments.

“Darken Rahl is dead, but still moves pawns in our world,” Byrus said, being silent until now, the third wizard present contributed with his thoughts. “He lost his direct control and power on the land of the living, what better way to regain it than putting his puppets to work, while making sure there would be no one to stop them?” he contemplated.

Cara stood very still while she heard all the theories the others were considering. She thought about the bond she felt with the girls; it had disturbed her at first, she was never one to bond with anyone, least of all children and in such a small amount of time. Even if she tried to stop it, the thought that they could have been deceived did start nagging at her. It was all too good to be true, wasn’t it? Having children of her own, having a great relationship with them… not to mention Kahlan’s unconditional love. When she thought about it all, it could may well be that it was literally too good to be true; and that thought scared her more than anything in her life before.

Kahlan watched apprehensively as Cara closed her jaw tightly and her hand unconsciously went to seek the agiel at her waist. She noticed the rigid stance and how the blonde didn’t look up to anyone, seeming deep in thought but also absorbing everything that was being said around her. It wasn’t hard for her to guess that Cara’s beliefs were swerving.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Kahlan repeated, refusing to be defeated but not knowing how to refute anything the others were saying.

“And two girls being born of two women? _That_ is more plausible?” Dennee argued, exasperated that her sister was refusing to acknowledge the truth. “A spell that could allow that makes sense to you, but a simple illusion spell, a daughter of a Confessor being broken into a Mord’Sith could never happen?!” Dennee enumerated, now more certain that what the old man warned her about was indeed true.

“Break the spell,” Cara’s calm voice was heard, the kind of calm that was most certainly covering for a hurricane of emotions. “If we are under some kind of spell, just break it,” she presented the simple solution.

“I’m guessing it’s not that simple, otherwise they would have done it by now,” Zedd speculated, looking to his fellow wizards for confirmation.

“We can’t sense a specific spell around you,” Thoros shook his head in confirmation of Zedd’s suspicions. “Besides the magic that is inherent to every one of you, we can’t perceive for certain what was the exact spell cast upon you,” he sighed.

“Or there is no spell to begin with,” Kahlan said in victory, finally grabbing onto something that could turn their reasoning around.

“My dear,” Zedd started dejectedly, knowing this was breaking the Mother Confessor’s heart, but conscious that he had to analyze everything without letting emotion cloud his vision. “If we are under a spell from Panis Rahl’s hidden collection, a collection Sarah herself confirmed that exists, we may very well not be able to perceive it; it’s very dark and powerful magic, one that we do not fully understand,” he concluded sadly.

“There has to be a way to be sure,” Richard turned to Zedd. “Between all of you, surely you can figure it out,” he said hopefully, looking form Zedd to the other wizards.

“Actually, we may know how to break it,” Estalt confirmed, receiving astonished looks from Richard and the others. “Draco said there was one way to break the spell you are all under,” he nodded.

“How?” Richard asked, impatient.

“By killing the girl,” Estalt stated simply.


	21. Chapter 21

“You can’t be serious,” Kahlan said in disbelief. “You are seriously considering killing a child? _My_ child?” she shouted at Dennee.

“Kahlan, try to see reason,” Dennee insisted, as Kahlan covered her face with her hands in frustration. “We can’t risk you; we can’t risk the Seeker being influenced by Darken Rahl, not when the world needs him to complete his quest. Isn’t that your duty? Protect the Seeker?” Denne said.

“Don’t you dare question my sense of duty, Dennee,” Kahlan advised, her eyes filing with tears. “I will not admit it, from any of you,” she said firmly, looking around the room.

“This has nothing to do with Kahlan’s commitment to me or the mission,” Richard was quick to come to the Confessor’s rescue.

“That’s why she jumped into the Mord’Sith’s arms?” Dennee questioned, watching Richard recoil. 

“You’re twisting things, Dennee,” Kahlan said. “My feelings for Cara have nothing to do with this,” she stated.

“How can you be so sure?” Dennee insisted. “The last time we saw each other you were head over heels in love with Richard and now you come here claiming you are in love with _her_?” she asked in disbelief.

“You’re taking this too far,” Cara warned Dennee from behind Kahlan.

“On the contrary, maybe I’m not taking it far enough,” Dennee started, approaching Cara. “Either you are in on the plan to fool these two,” she said pointing at Kalan and Richard. “After all, who better to send on a seducing mission than a Mord’Sith,” she said, looking Cara up and down. “Or you’re completely delusional under this spell; how could my sister possibly love you?” Dennee questioned.

Cara gritted her teeth; there’s nothing she wanted more than to punch the smirk off Dennee’s face, but the doubts the Confessor’s words were forming on her mind rooted her to her place. She noticed Kahlan shaking her head at her, pleading with her eyes for Cara not to be swayed by Dennee, but the words stoked the fear that had always been hidden inside her, the fear that Kahlan would eventually realize that Cara was nothing but an exciting adventure to have.

“We can’t do anything rash,” Zedd advised. “Even if what you say is true, you would still be killing an innocent girl, who was tortured and used in someone’s gain,” the wizard looked pointedly at Dennee, watching from the corner of her eye as Kahlan shook her head wearily.

“This is too much,” Kahlan sighed, wiping her eyes and turning to walk out of the room, not sparing a glance back at any of them.

***************************

“Kahlan, wait,” Richard called, following the brunette after she stormed out of the room. “Wait, talk to me,” he said, grabbing her arm and once again the Mother Confessor withdrew from his touch.

“And tell you what, Richard?” Kahlan sniffed, not being able to control her emotions anymore. “That I refuse to believe any of this, when you clearly are inclined to agree with my sister?” she told the Seeker with a look of disappointment, knowing Richard was indeed considering the possibility.

“I’m not saying I believe what they’re saying, but…” Richard started to say before being interrupted by the brunette.

“But you wish it were true,” she said, not being able to hide the note of accusation in her voice.

“I don’t, I…” Richard defended himself, but stopped at Kahlan’s knowing look.

“There’s no lying to a Confessor, Richard,” she reminded him. “And there is no arguing with them, I need to think,” she turned and walked away, leaving the Seeker behind.

***************************

Zedd approached his grandson, who was at a window looking broodingly at Aydindril’s patio downstairs. He stood beside the Seeker, not wanting to interrupt his train of thought, but knowing they had much to discuss.

“You can talk, Zedd,” Richards sighed. “Tell me, what do you think of all of this?” he questioned.

“They did raise some valid questions,” Zedd nodded, his mind still working around all the information they had. “As much as it pains us, they could be right,” he nodded grimly.

“So, you think we are under an illusion spell and the girls have been deceiving us all along, with Darken Rahl behind it?” he summarized.

“It does seem like something Darken Rahl would do,” Zedd agreed.

“He is a master at thinking three steps ahead,” Richard said. “Got to give him that,” he conceded.

“Yes, my boy,” Zedd agreed. “But the other side of the coin can also be possible,” he looked at Richard, seeing the conflict between reason and emotion in his grandson’s eyes.

“Kahlan assumed I would be happy if this new theory was right,” he said, recalling the brief but intense spat he had sooner with the Mother Confessor.

“And wouldn’t you be, my boy?” Zedd smiled sadly, not needing the nod Richard reluctantly gave him in conformation to know he was right in his assessment.

“But this is not about what I want or wish,” Richard sighed. “This is about finding out if we are aiding Darken Rahl without realizing it, or if we are condemning two girls,” he contemplated, the wizard nodding in agreement.

“We have to consider everything,” Zedd added. “Much is at stake here,” he said.

“And even if the girls are Rahl’s puppets, doesn’t that still make them victims?” Richard mused, looking at his grandfather and receiving an agreeable smile.

“Richard, my dear boy,” Zedd’s smile widened. “Always searching for the truth and justice, even when it’s hard to face,” he said, squeezing the Seeker’s shoulder.

“The truth can’t be denied,” Richard just shrugged. “We can’t forget they are still children that may have been used by a mad man,” he said.

“The man that warned them about Sarah’s arrival,” Zedd changed the subject slightly. “Thoros told me he claimed to have been a prisoner of Darken Rahl once, having witnessing various things while he was there,” he clarified.

“Like your friend who told us about the experiments Rahl was doing with the Mord’Sith children?” Richard recalled, as Zedd once again nodded.

“So, this could be a trustworthy report,” the wizard hypothesized. “Or it could be Farkas disguising himself to use Dennee and Aydindril’s defenses to stop Sarah, whom he knew was coming here looking for her sister,” he said.

“But if it were Farkas, Dennee would have known he was lying to her,” Richard pointed out.

“Right,” Zedd agreed with a sigh. “There’s no lying to a Confessor, after all,” he said with a chuckle, not noticing that Richard didn’t share his amusement.

“Don’t I know it,” Richard mumbled to himself.

***************************

After Kahlan had stormed out of the room, Cara moved to follow her but Dennee stopped her by grabbing her arm and told her, in no uncertain terms, that if she discovered that Cara had something to do with deceiving her sister and plotting against Aydindril, she would confess Cara faster than she could withdraw her agiels. Cara just stared at the Confessor and wrenched her arm free, completely ignoring the threat, and went after Kahlan. Once outside the chair room she stopped when she faced a very troubled Richard.

“Where is she?” Cara asked, not really meeting the man’s eyes. She was not in the mood for the questions she knew the Seeker wanted to ask her.

“She went that way,” Richard pointed down the corridor, watching as Cara hurriedly started to walk that way. “Cara, wait,” he called, noticing the blonde’s shoulders tense; the Mord’Sith didn’t turn to face him, but she did stop. “Do you think this could be true?” he tentatively asked, knowing by the frustrated tilt of the blonde’s head that Cara didn’t really want to talk about this with him.

“Aren’t you the Seeker of Truth?” she asked flippantly, turning swiftly around to face him. “You should be more capable than me to figure that out,” she shrugged with apparent disinterest, but she knew by now Richard would not be so easily fooled.

“Even so, I value your opinion,” Richard replied calmly, conscient of Cara’s effort to avoid this conversation. “And I wanted to know how you took what was said back there,” he questioned.

“I didn’t like it, if that’s what you’re asking,” Cara huffed, hands on her hips. “They said a lot, I don’t know what to think,” she admitted reluctantly, motivated by the honest worry she could see in Richard’s eyes.

“You think they could be right?” Richard insisted, noticing the doubts on the blonde’s face.

“I already told you I don’t know, Richard,” Cara said. “What I know is that I need to find Kahlan, now,” she said and walked away after the Seeker nodded his head in agreement.

She really didn’t like to discuss these matters with Richard. As much as the man seemed to be accommodating to her relationship with Kahlan, it was still awkward to talk to him about it. She was getting better at talking about her feelings, courtesy of one very persistent Mother Confessor, but talking to Kahlan was one thing, the rest of the world was another.

Instead of roaming the corridors aimlessly, she asked a guard where the Mother Confessor was and was promptly pointed in the direction of a bedroom. Walking to the door, she knocked softly and entered without waiting for an answer.

Kahlan had been waiting for the blonde, and sensing the presence of the Mord’Sith, sighed in relief and turned to face her lover in search of some solace.

“Can you believe them?” Kahlan asked as she walked towards Cara, but the downcast eyes of the Mord’Sith shot down her hopes that the blonde just had a momentary moment of doubt before. “Cara? You don’t believe any of that nonsense, do you?” she questioned, slightly fearful of the answer.

Cara didn’t say anything; she limited her reaction at lifting her head to face Kahlan. Apparently, this was all the Mother Confessor needed to guess what the other woman was thinking.

“Tell me you don’t,” Kahlan pleaded, approaching the motionless Mord’Sith.

Cara closed her eyes at the brunette’s increasing closeness and took a deep breath that was meant to calm her, but did nothing of the sort. She knew what Kahlan’s thoughts about this were, the brunette made them very clear already; but she was not Kahlan, she didn’t rely on emotion and faith first, leaving logic to take a back seat. And that fear; that fear took a firm grip around her heart, whispering tauntingly in her mind that Kahlan’s love was too great of a gift. She was sure these doubts had been conquered, after all they had professed their love to each other; but, thinking back, Kahlan’s feelings only started to be clear to her right before they met Alys. So, this left her wondering if an illusion was all she had been getting lately, because how could a Confessor love a Mord’Sith; how could Kahlan love her. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Cara told her with a shrug of her shoulders, in one last vain attempt to avoid the difficult conversation she knew was about to take place.

“I want you to tell me that you are not swayed by absurd theories!” Kahlan said, wondering how Cara could let them fool her. “You are the least influenceable person I know, Cara,” the brunette stated. “How can you give them credit?”

“Because they raised valid points, Mother Confessor,” Cara shouted suddenly, not liking how her emotions were getting away from her control.

“Why did you call me that?” Kahlan asked with a furrowed brow, the anger leaving place to hurt in her eyes as she heard the detached tone Cara used to say her title.

“Called you what?” the blonde asked dismissively, not failing to notice the tone she had used to address Kahlan. She had called Kahlan by her title before, but always in jest or as an endearment; but even if she instantly regretted it, she couldn’t really control her old defense mechanisms, emotional detachment being first among them.

“Don’t play coy with me,” Kahlan warned, not one bit intimidated by Cara’s attitude. “What’s wrong Cara? I don’t even remember the last time you spoke to me in such a defensive way,” she insisted.

“Have you really not considered, for even one second, that we may be being played by Darken Rahl?” Cara questioned, opening her arms, as she looked frustratingly at the brunette. 

“There’s nothing to consider,” Kahlan denied, piercing Cara with her eyes as she heard the Mord’Sith chuckle in exasperation.

“Your tendency to always rely on blind faith, always astonishes me,” Cara grinned disbelievingly, shaking her head at Kahlan.

“It’s not blind faith; you can’t deny you feel the same connection to those girls I feel, Cara,” she challenged. “I’ve seen you with them, they bring out a protectiveness in you that is unusual,” Kahlan pointed out.

“Unusual?” Cara asked with a raised eyebrow. “Being protective is _exactly_ my main trait since you’ve met me, I joined your merry band to protect Richard,” she reminded Kahlan. “And I protected you as fiercely, when he ordered me to,” Cara recalled the time the Seeker went to control his Han, at the Palace of the Prophets.

“You’re talking about duty, Cara,” Kahlan said. “I’m talking about feelings, about emotions you can’t explain with logic,” she clarified.

“Feelings can’t be relied on,” the Mord’Sith spat, almost to herself, not noticing right away the wounded look on Kahlan’s face.

Kahlan was shocked with what her lover was saying to her. If there was one person that she expected to back her up and be on her side, it was Cara. But it looked like the blonde had as many doubts about this whole situation as everyone else.

“Feelings can’t be relied on?” Kahlan said tiredly, this ordeal was just getting worse and worse. “How about the ones you have for me?” she challenged.

“ _Those_ I don’t doubt,” Cara said firmly, with a bit too much emphasis.

“What about the ones I have for you?” Kahlan questioned again, suspecting she was getting closer to the source of the blonde’s reservations.

Cara gritted her teeth and exhaled heavily through her nose. The hesitation was enough for Kahlan to know she had unveiled the true issue.

“Kahlan, don’t mix things up,” Cara said, the grip she felt around her heart intensifying, but not letting her fully admit to the brunette what she feared most. “We are talking about the fact that the girls being ours could probably be false, an illusion to deceive us all,” she said.

“I’m not the one mixing things up, _you_ are,” Kahlan argued right back, taking a couple more steps that put her right in front of Cara “Look at me,” she asked gently, cupping the blonde’s chin and bringing Cara’s down casted eyes to face her. “Are you considering that my love for you is also part of this so-called illusion?” Kahlan asked, her eyes never leaving the blonde’s.

“What if it is?” Cara admitted in a broken whisper, feeling the bitter taste the words left.

“I can’t believe you’re saying that to me,” Kahlan said with tears in her eyes, taking half a step back and letting her hand fall over her stomach in an empty gesture to regain a small amount of comfort.

“Kahlan, don’t ever doubt my feelings for you,” Cara said fervently, feeling herself sunk deep in a hole she had no idea how to get out of.

“But you’re allowed to doubt mine for you?” Kahlan shot back. “Why is that Cara? Why?” the Mother Confessor demanded, tears now rolling down her face.

“Because I’m not worthy of you,” Cara shouted without much thinking, letting her fear talk for her and shocking Kahlan into silence.

“That’s not true and you know it,” Kahlan said, rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hand. “And I can’t believe you are letting something so frivolous as this to get between us,” Kahlan continued. “What we have together is stronger than suppositions. I thought we had established that since we met the girls, we didn’t let the unknow of the future to get between us,” she told Cara, watching as the blonde’s eyes shone with barely kept tears.

“But this is not about the future, is it? They were talking about something that could be happening in our time,” Cara recalled dejectedly. “Kahlan, I love you with everything I have, for longer than you think,” Cara admitted, in an attempt to fix what she knew was being damaged by her own hand. “Even for longer than I think, I bet,” she sighed. “But you have to consider every single possibility, there’re too many coincidences, too many puzzle pieces that fit right,” the Mord’Sith said, hopping Kahlan would see her point of view. “We can’t play into Darken Rahl’s game,” she finished, trying to alert the brunette for the dangers of them being wrong.

“This has nothing to do with Darken Rahl, or the girls, or a stupid spell,” Kahlan said with renewed fervor. “This is about us and you being afraid of what we have together,” she declared, an accusing finger pointed at the blonde.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Cara insisted in vain, a lone tear escaping without her consent, but was quickly wiped away with by gloved hand.

“You’re not afraid of anything, except of love,” Kahlan persisted, her eyes daring Cara to keep contradicting her. “Deep down, you’re still afraid, that’s why you’re letting this get to you,” she said with conviction, watching Cara lower eyes and clench her jaw, in a clear effort to regain her emotions.

Kahlan knew Cara; she knew the blonde was so much more than she let on, knew she was capable of loving fiercely; despite all the torture she went through to become a Mord’Sith, Cara managed to keep a part of her intact. That part of her, that made her question any authority if she didn’t agree, made her keep thinking for herself instead of following someone blindly, also allowed her to love. And as time passed, Kahlan could see how Cara changed with their influence; she was attentive, more considerate, more caring, and eventually, she allowed herself to love Kahlan. But the Confessor knew, loving another and allowing herself to be loved, were two very different things for Cara. She had no problem with being selfless and bowing to Kahlan’s needs, but believing she was deserving of the same treatment, that was the truly hard thing for the blonde to accept.

“Never in my life did I expect to fall in love with anyone; least of all you,” Cara said. “That’s surprising enough; but have you reciprocate those feelings is… and the promise of a future where we have children together, that’s…” Cara trailed off, not really knowing how to express how much all that seemed unattainable to her.

“Well then, maybe you are right, this is all an illusion and our love was fabricated by magic,” she sniffed, trying desperately to control her emotions, but not having much luck. She wasn’t inclined to believe this illusion spell was real, but she was just so tired of arguing. Defeated and exhausted, she needed to escape the rollercoaster of emotions she was on; with one last look at Cara she walked away from the blonde.

“Kahlan, wait!” Cara called as she watched helplessly the brunette pass her by and walking rapidly to the door of the room.

“Just leave me alone, Cara,” was the last thing Kahlan said before exiting the room, banging the door on her way out.

Cara closed her eyes and threw her head back in exasperation. This could not have gone more wrong. She didn’t want to doubt Kahlan’s feelings for her, she had plenty of proof from the brunette that she wanted to be with her and loved her deeply, but in the face of this possibility, of it all being fake, Cara was not being able to control the fear that was still there, despite all the reassurances. She gripped her agiels in an attempt of governing her galloping emotions, forcing herself to fight against that fear, a fear that was once a certainty in her life, that love did not exist and only brought pain when you let yourself fall in its grasp. The agiels helped to ground her and she couldn’t deny that Kahlan was right, she was terrified of being loved, because that left her vulnerable, that had the power to destroy her if it were taken away from her. And here she was, faced with a strong possibility that indeed it could all be taken away from her, that it might have never been real in the first place. But even so, she could also recognize that she was letting fear rule her above everything, and that shamed her. She always took pride on being able to use emotion in her favor, not let it bend her to its will; but most of all, she was ashamed these doubts had ended up hurting Kahlan. She needed to make things right. She would do whatever it took to get to the bottom of this.

***************************

Dennee was left with the three wizards that made part of the council that advised the Mother Confessor, or in this case, the Confessor that ruled in her name in Aydindril. After the others abandoned the room, following Kahlan’s tempestuous exit, they stood quietly, analyzing in silence what had transpired. 

“I would say the Mother Confessor was not convinced,” Bryus broke the silence by stating the obvious.

“I honestly though my sister would be the most rational of all of them,” Dennee confided. “Even that Mord’Sith seemed more inclined to agree with us than her,” she sighed.

“They also made some valid points,” Thoros recalled. “We have to consider that we may be dealing with two innocent girls here,” he reminded the others.

“But are they worth the risk of losing Aydindril to Darken Rahl?” Estalt pondered.

“Then you’re in favor of just killing the girl and see what happens?” Thoros questioned his colleague and friend, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

“That _is_ one of the options,” Bryus nodded, along with Dennee and Estalt. “But it’s a dangerous gamble,” he said. “If we are wrong, we could be killing an innocent girl,” he concluded.

“But what other logical explanation is there?” Dennee asked. “I never heard of any spell that would allow two women to have children,” she said, looking questionably at her companions and receiving shakes of heads in confirmation that neither one of them had heard of such a thing either.

“So, we are favoring the spell theory?” Estalt asked, as the others nodded, albeit aware that there was no way to be completely sure at this point.

“But even if they are all under an illusion spell,” Thoros started. “The girls were still used in Rahl’s favor without their consent,” the wizard recalled.

“Isn’t that how all Mord’Sith are made?” Dennee asked.

“Yes, but normally we face them when they are adults,” Thoros reasoned. “Not still teenagers and children, probably with no real consciousness of what they are truly doing,” he said.

“Then let’s face an adult Mord’Sith,” Estalt said, attracting the curious eyes of his companions.

“What do you mean?” Dennee said, not knowing what the wizard was getting at.

“There is one other way to know if they are under a spell or not,” Estalt continued. “You confess the Mord’Sith,” he revealed, looking at Dennee. “Being confessed, she will be attuned to everything affecting her emotionally, past and present; and since magic is strongly linked to emotion, she will be able to tell you for certain if she is under a spell or not,” he explained. “And if she is, we will know the others are too,” he finished, waiting for the other’s assessment.

Dennee paused in thought. If she confessed Cara, they could know the truth without harming neither her sister, the Seeker or the Wizard of the First Order; making sure at the same time that they wouldn’t murder children in needlessly, an idea that despite her bravado was not particularly fond to her, as it hit to close to what she was forced to do to her son. But Cara; she had no concerns for the wellbeing of the Mord’Sith; she could actually get justice for her family and fellow Confessor’s for what happened in Valeria. And the feelings her sister claimed to have for the red clad woman, seemed too surreal to be true to her; she probably would be doing Kahlan a favor by lifting the veil from her eyes.

“I think that is the best way to deal with this problem,” Dennee concluded. “We won’t be risking the Mother Confessor, Aydindril or risk killing innocent children,” she told the others.

“And if we are wrong and there is no spell?” Thoros asked the question everyone was dreading. “Who are these girls then? Could they really be from the future?” he pondered.

“If they are from the future and indeed are my sister’s daughters, then all will be good,” Dennee said. “We agree it’s impossible for them to be the Mord’Sith’s children too, right?” she asked the others, receiving nods of confirmation. “Then no harm done, the only one to die will be no innocent; on the contrary, justice has been put on hold long enough,” she said harshly.

Having gotten to a consensus, the four of them left the room in search of Cara.

***************************

Kahlan left the room with really no direction in mind, all she wanted was to be alone for a while to digest all that was happening. She had no doubt of the love Cara had for her, what troubled her was Cara’s fear of embracing happiness in full; the blonde still let a small part of herself locked away protectively. Rationally, Kalan could see were the blonde was coming from and how the arguments the others presented could be possible, but she had never felt as happy as she was with Cara, never felt as loved, even with Richard. Cara’s love felt mature and solid, something she once even doubted the Mord’Sith was capable of. But now, she felt that love with every look, every touch, every kiss. How could the best thing that had happened to her be the product of an illusion? She had to discover the truth in this mess and she knew where she had to start; she needed to talk with Sarah.

“Kahlan?” a tentative voice brought her out of her reverie, looking up she saw her sister walking towards her, the wizards close behind her, just the person she wanted.

“I need to speak with Sarah,” Kahlan requested, not really in the best state of mind to argue more with her sister, but she was the only one who could authorize her to speak with a prisoner.

“Very well,” Dennee agreed without much preamble. “Guard, please, accompany the Mother Confessor to the cells and let her speak with the prisoner,” she ordered the closest guard, who promptly took a step forward.

“Where are you going?” Kahlan asked before her sister could walk away. “We also need to speak, alone,” she said, looking meaningfully towards the wizards.

“I have a matter to attend to,” Dennee replied stoically. “But we can meet after and talk,” she conceded, relieved that Kahlan only nodded in acquiescence and followed the guard to the dungeon, allowing her to continue on her way.

Kahlan was still shaken by her argument with Cara, they had disagreed before, multiple times, but this was different. Somehow, they ended up going from discussing the theories thrown at them, to questioning their relationship; leaving Kahlan with a rock at the pit of her stomach.

She took a deep calming breath and faced the guards with authority, tilting her head slightly to wordlessly convey that she wanted to be alone with the prisoner.

“Mother!” Sarah grinned and jumped to her feet to get close to the bars of the cell.

“Hey sweetie,” Kahlan smiled, reaching through the bars to hug the teen as best as she could, her heart jumping a bit at being called ‘mother’ by Sarah.

“I’m so glad to see you,” Sarah said with a relieved grin. “No one seems to want to talk to me around here,” she complained, peeking at the dungeon door and the receding guards.

Kahlan just took a moment to look at Sarah, really look at her. The seventeen-year-old girl bore a remarkable resemblance to Cara; her green eyes, the shape of her lips and her posture, were incredibly similar to Cara’s. But as Kahlan threaded her fingers through the black wavy locks, she noticed the resemblance to her own hair. And more than the looks, the girl seemed to conduct herself with an inherent sense of responsibility, that seemed to temper her instinct to act, reminding Kahlan of her young self.

“Surprised?” Sarah asked grinning, noticing how Kahlan was studying her and guessed the woman was looking at her with new eyes after she had revealed the truth to them.

“I’m not sure anything can surprise me anymore,” Kahlan chuckled, caressing the girl’s cheek affectionately. “But I wasn’t counting on having one more daughter,” she smiled. “Is there any other girl I should know about?” she asked.

“Well…” Sarah hinted teasingly, laughing at Kahlan’s widening eyes. “I’m kidding, there’s just me and Alys,” Sarah confirmed. “The little thing claims you won’t have more babies because you reached perfection with her,” she said, rolling her eyes and making Kahlan laugh.

“She sure is cheeky, that sister of yours,” Kahlan shook her head fondly, her heart clenching a bit at the thought of the missing girl.

“You haven’t seen nothing yet,” Sarah guaranteed. “That girl can argue like no one’s business and she’s really sneaky,” she revealed, squinting her eyes. “I have no idea how she’ll manage to stay put to listen to supplicants one day,” she said, shaking her head.

“Do you listen to supplicants?” Kahlan asked curiously.

“Not on my own, I’m too young,” Sarah shook her head. “You make me and Alys attend sometimes, when you are having hearings, so we can learn,” she explained with a smile.

Sarah was relieved she didn’t have to conceal her identity anymore. She could lie like any other person, but pretending she wasn’t Kahlan’s daughter didn’t sit well with her; it left her feeling like she was distancing herself from her mother, like she was severing the bond she had with her. She never wanted to be a stranger to Kahlan, not even this version of her, so she was glad the truth was out in the open.

“Now, can you open this damn thing please,” Sarah asked, referring to the cell door. “It’s really weird to be a stranger in a place where people know me from the sound of my steps alone,” she chuckled, but frowned as she noticed that Kahlan was not laughing with her.

“I can’t let you out of there,” Kahlan confirmed the girl’s fears. “Dennee is in charge right now and she hasn’t given permission to free you,” she justified.

“What do you mean aunt Dennee is in charge?” she questioned. “You’re here, that makes you automatically in charge, even if she was replacing your temporarily,” she furrowed, not understanding why she couldn’t leave.

“Sarah, do you remember how you got to Aydindril?” Kahlan changed the subject.

“Not really, the last thing I remember clearly is Farkas disappearing with Alys,” she recalled. “Then it’s all a blur; I remember some fighting and maybe aunt Dennee’s face, but then I woke up already in here,” she explained.

“After Farkas disappeared with your sister you entered the Con Dar,” Kahlan explained calmly, watching the teen’s reaction closely.

“I _what_?” Sarah said is disbelief, her eyes getting bigger as she put the pieces together and concluded that that was probably why she didn’t remember much, just this all-consuming rage.

“Did that ever happen before?” Kahlan continue with her questions.

“Never,” Sarah shook her head. “I didn’t even know I could do that,” she mused.

“Like you can’t give the Breath of Life?” Kahlan asked, recalling what the girl had once told them.

“Exactly,” she nodded. “I guess there’s only so much the spell could pass on to me, right?” she shrugged with a smile.

At the mention of the spell that made possible for Sarah and Alys to be conceived, Kahlan sighed and wondered how much she should tell the girl about the suspicions that had been discussed upstairs. As this thought crossed her mind, she realized sorrowfully that she too was letting doubt plague her. This made her take a deep breath, recognizing it was indeed a delicate situation, with much at stake.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked with concern, she could see Kahlan was upset and had been crying recently. “Your eyes are all puffed. Did you argue with mom?” she guessed with a small smirk.

“You could say that,” Kahlan let out a little sad smile. “Why? Is it normal for us to argue?” she fished for information, her sense of duty roaring it’s head now that she was calmer.

“Bicker is the word I would use,” Sarah chuckled, clearly remembering many times where she had witnessed such a behavior. “I know you argue sometimes, but never in front of us,” she shrugged unconcerned.

“Well, that seems sensible of us,” Kahlan said. “Cara can be really difficult sometimes,” she confided without really meaning too, but the blonde just had the power to throw her for a loop.

“You don’t have to tell me that,” Sarah grinned. “The woman raised me, I know how difficult she can be,” she laughed openly now.

Kahlan watched this girl talk so freely and warmly about them, and despite the obvious doubts that one could have in the face of the facts, she couldn’t help but believe the girl’s side of the story. But how to be sure? After all, as her sister had reminded her, she could not read a Mord’Sith. Instead she opted to tell the girl the truth, all of it, and study the reaction.

“Sarah, the reason Dennee doesn’t let you leave the cell,” Kahlan started in a soberer tone. “Is because someone warned her you were coming to Aydindril and you wanted to steal the throne from her,” she revealed.

“I don’t need to steal something that is rightfully mine,” Sarah said, tilting her head in confusion.

“I don’t mean in the future,” Kalan clarified, watching the girl closely. “I mean now; in the name of Darken Rahl,” she added, watching Sarah’s expression morph into one of bewilderment.

“Say what?” she dumbly said. “She thinks I work for Darken Rahl?” she asked dumbfounded. “But I never even met the guy, he was already dead when I was born,” she pointed out.

“That’s not what he claimed,” Kahlan told the teen. “The man who warned Aydindril of your arrival, told them you were born here, of a Confessor captive in the People’s Palace, and then broken into a Mord’Sith, with Rahl for your master,” Kahlan fully disclosed, not sure if the impassive expression on Sarah’s face was a good or a bad sign.

“That’s some twisted tale,” she snorted with obvious amusement, but otherwise not reacting much more. “What about my sister, do you know anything?” she questioned with more interest.

Kahlan was expecting an outburst, but the teen seemed awfully calm to her in the face of what she had just told her; only reacting more passionately when she asked about Alys, for which Kahlan had no answers either.

“We don’t know where she is,” the Mother Confessor sighed. “And I don’t see how we can get to her without me surrendering to him,” she said somberly.

“But you can’t do that,” Sarah shook her head vehemently, covering Kahlan’s hand that was resting on the cell bar. “That’s exactly what he wants, we need to figure out a way to find her without losing you,” she stated, looking like she was already thinking of a plan.

“We?” Kahlan asked with a smile, squeezing the teen’s hand.

“Oh yes, you so need to figure out a way to get me out of here,” Sarah huffed. “My room is upstairs, not down here,” she quipped, making Kahlan chuckle.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Kahlan assured her, not being able to ignore the connection she felt to the girl, now that she was close to her again. She squeezed Sarah’s hand again and turned around to leave.

“Mother?” Sarah called, making Kahlan turn around again to face her. “You do believe me and Alys, don’t you?” she asked nervously, worrying her bottom lip.

Watching the girl worrying her lip like that, Kahlan could not deny how much she looked like Cara when she was at her most vulnerable; like the way she had left her upstairs, before storming out the room. She could understand how what Dennee had told them was believable, but then she looked at the resemblance Sarah bore to her lover, and it left her with little doubts that this girl, as well as little Alys, were indeed their flesh and blood. 

“I do, sweetie,” Kahlan confirmed, as much to Sarah as to herself. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out,” she promised and with a comforting smile to the teen she left the dungeons. She needed to talk to Cara, right now.

***************************

Cara was sitting with her legs stretched on the long-cushioned seat under the window of the bedroom Kahlan and her had argued before. She looked down at the soldiers sparring outside, not being able to stop herself from mentally correcting them on the errors they were making. She thought about all the things she said to Kahlan and how she wished she had steered that conversation differently. But she was sure she would have the chance to make things right between them, they just had to cool off a little; both of them, because Kahlan certainly did not shy away from confrontation, and she loved her for that. Cara heard steps down the hall; at first, she thought it would be Kahlan coming back, but whoever it was made too much noise, Kahlan was inherently much more graceful. She looked up when she heard a knock and called out for the person to come in. The door opened to show Dennee.

“Do you mind if I enter?” the Confessor requested politely. “I wish to speak with you,” she added.

Cara immediately tensed, doubting Kahlan’s sister would have anything nice to tell her. But nevertheless, she gave the Confessor a curt nod of acquiescence and got up from her previous position.

“No crossbows this time?” Cara asked with a smirk, swaggering towards Kahlan’s sister.

“No, just me,” Dennee guaranteed, meeting the Mord’Sith half way.

“Do you need an invitation?” Cara asked with a bored sigh, seeing has the Confessor was taking her time to say what she came to say.

“Do you really think you have feelings for my sister?” Dennee asked curiously, before she could stop herself.

“I don’t _think_ , I know I do,” Cara said with certainty, staring Dennee down with no fear. “Trust me, thinking goes out the window when your sister is involved,” she added with a raise of her eyebrow, recalling how Kahlan could melt her with just one look or make her lose the grip on her emotions.

“I once told you I could never forget you for what you did on Valeria,” Dennee evoked their conversation while they were resurrecting Richard. “That’s still true, but I always wondered why did you apologize to me; Kahlan asked you too?” she questioned.

“Kahlan would never ask something like that,” Cara tilted her head. “Least of all back then; you seem to forget that she didn’t much like me either,” the Mord’Sith said, not being able to stop the almost imperceptible fond smile. “I did it because it felt like the right thing to do,” she clarified.

“And how did you learn to do the _right thing_ , Mord’Sith?” Dennee asked mockingly. 

“Your sister taught me,” Cara said meaningfully, having no doubt the brunette was the biggest influence on her changing ways.

“She also taught me,” Dennee nodded thoughtfully. “To always do what is right, even if it causes pain,” she said calmly.

Cara squinted her eyes slightly as she assessed the calm stance of the Confessor. The hairs on the back of her neck were raising slightly, but she could not identify any real threat coming from Dennee. She was not sure where the Confessor was going with this conversation.

“A nice lesson,” Cara agreed halfheartedly. “You should abide by it,” she said distractedly, letting her eyes fall to the Confessor’s legs, noticing the twin daggers hidden there, much in the same way Kahlan used hers; and that second of shifting attention was all the time Dennee needed.

“I intend to,” she replied at the same time her arm shot out and her hand closed firmly around Cara’s throat.

Despite her rocky relationship with Dennee, Cara never expected Kahlan’s sister to try something like this; she was ashamed to admit she had let her guard down. That thought passed through her head in a split second and then all she could see in her mind’s eye was Kahlan’s loving blue eyes and, strangely enough, the brunettes carefree laugh. Despite her will to free herself from the deadly touch, she was just not fast enough. The eyes looking back at her were not blue, they were pitch black; and the sound of laughter was muffled by a dry thunder that brought with it the promise of death.

“Command me, Confessor,” was what Dennee heard after Cara fell to her knees; the watery green eyes looking back at her with a look that was a mixture of adoration and deep pain.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you are all safe at home reading this new chapter to pass the time and taking measures to keep yourself, and everyone around you, safe from this virus. For those that can’t stay home because they have to go to work, for whatever reason, a big thank you! I work in an institution for kids, so I had to go to work (if it’s hard with one or two kids closed inside the house, imagine having twenty-three problematic ones, it gets really crazy).  
> Then I got sick, went to the doctor yesterday and they didn’t risk it and made me stay home in quarantine. It’s probably just a really nasty cold, but we can never be too careful.  
> Anyway, just wanted to send some love out there. We’ll get through this eventually, but let’s all be really careful so we can minimize the damage and it goes by as fast as possible.  
> Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Abraço :)

“You can come in now,” Dennee called hurriedly over her shoulder, knowing they didn’t have much time before the Mord’Sith died in agony.

Estalt, Bryus and Thoros entered the room, momentarily taken aback by the scene they encountered.

“She must be in horrible pain already,” Thoros commented with a furrowed brow as he looked with some reluctance at the way Cara clawed at the carpet in anguish but never diverted her adoring eyes from Dennee.

“Then don’t waste time with pity,” Dennee chastised. “I can assure you she deserves none,” she said and turned to look at Cara. “You will answer truthfully to anything these men ask you,” she commanded.

“I will, Mistress,” Cara assured and looked expectantly at the wizards, gritting her teeth in obvious pain.

“Who is Sarah?” Estalt asked with no more delay.

“She’s mine and Kahlan’s daughter; she travelled back from the future to look for her sister Alys, which in turn had been shoved into a portal to the past by a wizard named Farkas,” she relayed efficiently, but not being able to stop the tears falling down her cheeks.

“Search inside yourself, you will be able to feel it and tell me,” Thoros started. “Are you under the influence of any spell or illusion?” he asked the question that had forced their hand to resort to confessing this woman.

Cara glanced at Dennee and after an encouraging nod from the Confessor, the blonde paused for a moment, seeming to be assessing something. After a couple seconds, that to them felt like an eternity, the anguished Mord’Sith replied with obvious difficulty; not being able anymore to support her weight, she toppled to the side.

“No,” she wheezed, looking up at them. “I’m under no spell or illusion of any kind,” she confirmed, making the wizards pale and glance at Dennee to see her reaction.

The Confessor couldn’t take her eyes of Cara. Being now sure that her sister and her companions were not under the influence of any spell, she felt conflicted. She had done what she though was right, protecting her sister was at the forefront of her thoughts; but she was no fool, she knew Kahlan would not be pleased with Cara’s fate. Could it be possible that the monster that had killed her and her family, could have actually changed? Did she make a mistake? If she did, it was for the greater good, it was for her sister; Kahlan would understand her reasoning eventually. Looking at the dying woman, she couldn’t help one more question before Cara succumbed; she kneeled close to the Mord’Sith and whispered.

“Do you regret what you did on Valeria?” she asked. “Do you regret killing all those Confessors?” she looked deep into the blonde’s eyes.

“I do, Mistress,” Cara vowed, her face contorting in an expression of pure regret as she gasped for air. “Darken Rahl ordered me to do it and I did it, but it didn’t feel right; that’s one of the reasons why I helped Richard to kill him,” she managed to say, tears streaming down her face, before she let out a scream of pure agony and her body stilled lifeless on the floor.

**********************

“Back so soon, my dear,” Darken Rahl’s voice sounded behind her, the arrogant smirk discernable in his tone.

“Missed me?” Cara quipped, looking around at the various bodies contorting in agony around her. “I see you did nothing to improve the décor,” she sniffed disgustingly before she turned to face her former master.

“It’s a little grim, but one gets used to it,” he shrugged calmly. “Unless one wants to make a deal for the second time,” he hinted, the smirk never leaving his face.

“I’ll pass,” the blonde said, tilting her head and putting her hands on her hips, not one bit intimidated by Rahl. “Being a baneling was much to tiring for me, tight schedule; I prefer not to be tied down to anything,” she smirked back at him, her lips pursing in a defiant pout.

“But apparently you were enjoying being tied down to someone,” he said and was rewarded with a stare, the Mord’Sith meeting his challenge head on; not that he was expecting anything else.

“I see your new friend Farkas has kept you informed about the gossip,” she raised one eyebrow. “How exactly did you meet?” she tilted her head in curiosity. “Come on, you can tell me,” she said with an indifferent shrug. “It’s not like I’ll spill the beans,” she reasoned, looking pointedly up at the massive dome of the gigantic cavern. 

“No, that I can assure you,” he said with gusto before continuing. “The wizard Farkas and I have similar interests,” he began. “Since that last prophecy appeared on the walls of the Palace of the Prophets, I’ve been trying to kill the Mother Confessor,” he explained unnecessarily. “Seemed to me like a good way to stop her pure heart from beating,” he shrugged with a wicked half smile.

“So, you fooled us into thinking two of your little experiments were our daughters,” she started, looking Rahl up and down. “Playing on our emotions to help the little freaks worm their way to Aydindril and seize power to themselves, or should I say, to you; and letting the wizard kill Kahlan in the meantime,” she continued. “I gotta give it you, that was an intricate plan,” she nodded impressed.

“Little experiments?” he furrowed his brow in thought. “Who are you talking about?” he asked, already having an inkling.

“The two girls that appeared out of nowhere and claim to be mine and Kahlan’s daughters,” Cara clarified. “Coming from the future nonetheless,” she rolled her eyes for good measure.

“Oh, my dear Cara,” Darken Rahl said. “Always ready to assume the worst of me,” he shook his head slowly. “I’m hurt,” the man mocked, looking closely at the Mord’Sith’s reaction.

“It’s not true?” Cara challenged, not looking convinced. “You’re telling me you have never broken Confessor children into Mord’Sith?” Cara asked, trying desperately to prevent hope from showing on her face and maintaining an air of boredom.

“Oh, I did,” he confirmed, smirking even more when he noticed the disappointment that flashed in green eyes, even if Cara was doing a very good job of schooling her features. “I just never had satisfying results, they all ended up dead eventually,” he finally revealed after a dramatic pause, shrugging indifferently.

“Then it is true,” Cara smiled, letting her features relax. “They really are our daughters and travelled back in time,” she lifted her head disbelievingly to look at Darken Rahl.

“Well, not anymore they won’t,” Rahl’s smirk grew even bigger if that could be possible as Cara’s smile fell. “You’re dead after all, my dear Cara,” he recalled. “Those girls are already dead without knowing, they will never be born after all,” he shrugged, enjoying Cara’s worried frown.

***********************

Kahlan’s head shot up in alarm when she heard the gut-wrenching scream down the hall. She was coming back from the dungeons, to the room she had left earlier, so she could talk to Cara and patch things up between them. But the moment she heard that scream, she knew the horrible sound had come from Cara and her blood ran cold. She darted down the hall and froze at the threshold of the room, seeing Cara’s body lying on the ground while the wizards and her sister stood beside it.

“Cara!” she shouted in horror as she ran to the blonde’s side, dropping to her knees and turning Cara around so her lover’s upper body was lying limp on her lap. “Cara, no! Talk to me!” she screamed while she shook the blonde.

Kahlan couldn’t believe what was happening. She lay her ear on Cara’s chest, desperate to hear the comforting thump she was used to; but all she heard was a terrifying silence. Cara was dead in her arms; the green eyes she got used to seek comfort from, now closed permanently.

“What have you done?” she demanded in a hoarse voice, her tearful eyes immediately going to her sister.

“You have to understand, Kahlan,” Dennee started to said, but not really managing to stay unaffected in the face of her sister’s despair, as well as the hint of black she could spot appearing in the blue eyes. “We had to know for sure, it was the only way we had to be sure of the truth,” she reasoned, pleading wither eyes for Kahlan to understand her motives.

“You confessed her?” Kahlan presumed in a disbelieving whisper, looking from her sister to the wizards.

“It was the only option we had to know if you were under a spell without putting you or the girl in danger,” Estalt explained, but took a fearful step back when Kahlan focused her attention on him; black swirling more strongly in her irises as her grief consumed her.

“Kahlan!” Richard called in confusion after barging through the door, Zedd close behind him. “What happened? We heard a scream,” he said but stopped as he took in the scene in front of him, not needing an explanation anymore as he spotted Cara’s lifeless body in Kahlan’s arms.

“Richard,” Kahlan pleaded for help, lost between anger, grief and desperation; her eyes using the Seeker’s as an anchor in a desperate attempt to prevent herself from losing control.

“Sarah,” Zedd said ungently after assessing the gravity of the situation and knowing they didn’t have much time before Cara’s body went cold. “The girl can give her the Breath of Life,” he said with hope in his voice, but furrowed when he saw Kahlan shaking her head sadly.

“She can’t,” Kahlan hiccupped and hugged Cara to her; desperation and heartache clouding her mind to anything else right now. “She told me she was never able to do it,” she continued crying, without realizing that the tiny pool of tears on Cara’s leathers materialized into a little shiny stone.

“I can’t accept that,” Richard shook his head, his always present optimism fueling him. “Release Sarah right now, or we’ll do it ourselves,” Richard demanded as he unsheathed his sword, Zedd threateningly igniting his hand on fire beside him.

Dennee nodded towards the guards at the door, giving her authorization for the girl to be brought to her. Richard wasted no time, he grabbed the guard’s collar and shoved him in the direction of the dungeons, the Sword of Truth a very good encouragement for the man to run as fast as he could.

**************************

Alys sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. She cried alone for some time, grieving for her mom and loosing hope in ever getting out of here. But gradually she had calmed down, a good cry always had that effect on her, and she started to think a little clearer. Even when things looked bleak, she couldn’t give up. _‘Especially when things look bleak’_ , she remembered her mom saying to her once. With this though in mind, she cleaned her face of tears the best she could and looked around to look for an opportunity to get out of here. Farkas had left for a while now. After he was gone, two Mord’Sith had entered the hut, watching her wearily and keeping their distance. The wizard had most likely instructed them to guard her.

“So,” Alys started conversationally, sucking her teeth distractedly. “You’re supposed to guard me?” she asked the two Mord’Sith that stood in front of her.

Since none of the women replied, she tried her luck again. She could talk all day, that didn’t bother her; but she could bet that it bothered the Mord’Sith.

“I see, not big talkers, are you?” the girl sighed boringly. “Bet you’re not big fighters either,” the little Confessor mumbled musingly.

“What did you say, girl?” one of the Mord’Sith bristled predictably, making Alys’s lips twitch in a little victorious smile. 

“I’m just saying you must be the less competent Mord’Sith available,” she continued nonchalantly. “How hard can it be to guard a child, with her hands chained to the wall and a Rada’Han around her neck?” she asked rhetorically, observing the growing irritation in the women’s faces at the dismissive way she talked about them.

“What an acerbic tongue you have, little girl,” one of them said, pulling out the agiel at her waist. “I wonder if you would talk like that with this glued to your gut,” she threatened, the agiel whirring lowly as she got it closer to Alys’s stomach.

Before the Mord’Sith could see it coming, Alys spat on her face, startling the now enraged Mord’Sith into shoving the agiel against the girl’s stomach. Alys screamed as soon as the weapon touched her, the whales of the agiel mixing with her cries. 

“Not so disrespectful now, are we?” the Mord’Sith mocked, kicking Alys’s shoulder to make her roll on her back, after the girl had curled into a protective ball on the floor.

“It’s easy to talk when you’re beating a child chained to a wall,” Alys replied insolently. “That’s all the Mord’Sith do after all, isn’t it?” she accused, spitting out blood, she must have bitten the inside of her lip. “I would love to see you do the same to me if my hands were free,” she challenged, looking defiantly at her captor.

The Mord’Sith looked at her companion, both sharing a sadistic laugh.

“If it’s pain you want, little girl,” she said, picking up the key to the chains and freeing Alys. “We are more than willing to give it to you,” she promised, sticking the agiel against the child’s stomach and marveling at the screams she heard as the Confessor dropped to the floor again.

Alys kept screaming, the Mord’Sith was furious with her comments and was bent on giving her a lesson. The girl clawed at the wood floor under her, screaming some more until the screams morphed into amused laughter.

This completely out of place reaction confused the Mord’Sith, but the woman’s stubbornness made her push the weapon even more against the girl’s body, in an attempt to shut her up. But before she could react, the girl closed both hands over the agiel, effectively keeping it against her stomach and using the pulling momentum of the Mord’Sith to get up.

“Oops,” she smirked at the surprised woman. “Forgot to tell you these things don’t hurt me much,” she quipped before using the surprise effect to wrench the weapon from the woman’s hand, flip it and shove it with all the force she could muster against the Mord’Sith’s heart, the high pitched hum of the weapon testimony to the pain it was causing it’s owner.

With one final gasp, the red clad woman dropped dead at the blonde’s feet. Alys twirled her newly acquired weapon in her hand and tilted her head in challenge at the remaining Mord’Sith. At first the woman just stared at her in shock, but that lasted only a second, for the next moment the woman lunged at her and Alys was dodging attacks left and right. The Mord’Sith obviously was not expecting her to be so quick and nimble, least of all to be able to wield an agiel. Alys avoided trading direct blows, for she new the woman could take her in a sheer force confrontation, so she used all the evasive maneuvers she acquired from her training, admitting ruefully to herself that they did come in handy. In a move, that she recognized probably had much to do with skill as it had with pure luck, she managed to swipe the Mord’Sith’s legs from under her, the agiel leaving the woman’s grip with the impact of her hand on the ground. Alys wasted no time and surrounded the Mord’Sith’s exposed neck with her bare hand, fixing her eyes on the woman’s and watching terror cross the Mord’Sith’s face; surely expecting to be confessed.

“Rada’Han remember, stupid?” Alys jested with a smirk and with a skillful movement of her wrist, plunged the agiel directly in the Mord’Sith’s heart, killing her too.

She panted tiredly and got up with some difficulty. Next, she carefully approached both bodies to make sure the Mord’Sith were really dead, taking a deep calming breath after confirming it.

“Creator and all the Spirits in the whole wide world!” she cursed in a low voice. “I can’t believe I actually killed them both!” she whispered to herself in awe.

Picking at the Rada’Han around her neck, Alys frowned in annoyance and looked at the hook on the wall where she had seen Farkas hang the key earlier. Smiling victoriously after spotting the wanted item hanging there, she stepped over the bodies to get it.

“Wait till Sarah hears about this,” she mused to herself as she approached the wall. “Killing two Mord’Sith and managing to escape all on my own, it will get me bragging rights for ages!” she grinned as she stretched her arm to get the key, but her grin quickly disappeared and she lightly banged her head on the wall in frustration.

She couldn’t reach the key.

The girl placed the agiel she was still holding on a nearby table and looked around for something that could help her reach the hook. Spotting a chair, she promptly went to retrieve it, mumbling a soft _‘sorry’_ after she bumped the head of one of the bodies while dragging the chair towards the wall.

“Maybe leaving this bit out when I tell Sarah is a good idea,” she pondered to herself, climbing the chair to finally get the key. “She teases me enough about being short, no need to give her more ammunition,” she grinned when she heard the satisfying click of the Rada’Han being opened and threw the binding collar to the ground.

Hopping out of the chair, she grabbed the agiel back and took a step towards the door, but halted, looking behind her. She backtracked and picked up the other agiel lying forgotten on the floor, smiling down at the weapon.

“This is better,” she said to herself, testing the weapon’s weight in both her hands. With a cautious look at the surrounding area, she left the hut and took off in the direction of the tall towers she could see beyond the trees ahead.

“Just run, little thing, run,” she whispered encouragingly, unconsciously comforting herself with the term her sister frequently used to address her, and kept running to find shelter.

*************************

“Sarah!” Richard shouted as he got to the girl’s cell. “You need to come with me right now, it’s Cara,” he gulped, hurrying the guard with his eyes as the man struggled slightly to get the right key to open the cell.

“What happened?” Sarah questioned, perceiving the urgency in the Seeker’s tone.

“She’s dead,” he said without preamble, pulling open the door of the cell once unlocked. “You have to move fast,” he urged and pulled the girl with him as they ran back towards the room.

At hearing her mother was dead, Sarah sprinted as fast as she could, tears burning her eyes as a sense of déjà vu took over her. They both stormed inside the room and Sarah stopped in her tracks as she saw her mom lying dead in her mother’s arms.

“No, please, not again,” Sarah whimpered as she approached them and fell to her knees opposite Kahlan.

“You need to give her the Breath of Life, Sarah,” Zedd urged the girl, coming to stand behind her and looking worriedly at Cara’s body. 

“But… but I can’t do it,” she hiccupped, fisting her hand in her mom’s leathers as if begging her with the gesture to wake up. “I was never able to do it,” she shook her head in despair.

“Sweetie, look at me,” Kahlan’s tired voice got her attention. “Just try it, that’s all you can do,” she smiled weakly, and squeezed the girl’s hand encouragingly.

Sarah looked from Kahlan to Cara’s body and nodded once, taking a deep breath before trying to revive her mother. She lowered herself over Cara’s lips and slightly parted her own, willing some force she didn’t really know how to tap into, to leave her lips in a reviving breath. She paused for an anxious second… but nothing happened.

Sarah exhaled dejectedly and squeezed her eyes shut is frustration, as she struggled to breath. The teen jumped slightly when she felt a pair of cold hands encircle her head; fingers gently pressing into her temples and emanating a sense of calmness that was gradually helping her focus.

“Don’t fight the magic, Sarah, let it calm you down,” Zedd instructed the nervous teen, nodding encouragingly at Kahlan. “Now focus and try again,” the wizard prompted, observing expectantly with the others.

And try again she did. Sarah took a deep breath and lowered herself again towards her motionless mother; this time a faint, but visible, glowing breath left Sarah’s lips and entered Cara’s.

***********************

Darken Rahl was enjoying himself immensely as he watched the silent blonde’s expression twist and turn as she thought about what he had confirmed to her and the implications of it all. But his amusement left way to confusion as he noticed Cara’s body slowly become transparent.

“Looks like my ride back is here,” Cara said pleased, looking down at her increasingly translucent body. “Took a little longer than I was expecting, but thank you for the intel,” she said, a mocking smirk appearing on her lips as her previous worried expression disappeared quickly.

“Well played, my dear Cara; I do not like to lose,” Darken Rahl said slowly, realizing that Cara had made him reveal information she wanted to know. “But it’s good to see my little brother’s company has not dulled your strategic mind,” he added with a half-smile.

“You and your wizard friend should get together more often to discuss your moves,” Cara suggested. “It’s so indecorous to unintentionally reveal other people’s plans,” she shook her head slowly.

As the Mord’Sith’s body disappeared from the Underworld, the last thing Rahl saw was Cara’s victorious smirk and the mock salute the blonde threw at him.

“Just one battle,” he shrugged indifferently, certain that time was on his side. “I’ll get you all eventually, one way or another,” he said to himself as he walked away.

***************

Cara gasped as she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Kahlan’s relieved smile above her. As she turned her head to the side, she saw Sarah’s astounded face, mouth slightly hanging open. 

“Cara!” Kahlan gasped and hugged the blonde to herself. “Are you okay?” she asked as she let go of the embrace to cup Cara’s cheek carefully, relieved when the blonde nodded slowly and kissing her soundly on the lips.

“Now _that’s_ a breath of life,” Cara whispered with a very pleased smirk on her lips, making Kahan shake her head fondly, before turning to look at Sarah. “Took you long enough,” Cara said dryly. “If you knew how bad the Underworld smells and the dreadful company one has there, you would have hurried,” she ended with a playful wink at the still stunned teen.

“You _are_ okay if you’re berating people already,” Zedd said with a scoff, sharing a relieved look with Richard now that their friend was well and alive.

Cara chuckled and tried to get up, but found herself unable to do it gracefully. She squeezed Kahlan’s hand thankfully as the brunette noticed her struggle and pushed her up without anyone really noticing.

“So, did you learn everything you wanted?” she asked matter-of-factly, her intense look piercing Dennee.

“We did,” Dennee gulped and had the decency to lower her eyes.

“And?” Cara tilted her head, waiting for the Confessor to continue.

“You are under no spell or illusion,” Dennee confirmed, looking around at the others and not really letting her eyes stay too long on Kahlan’s.

“As we have told you from the moment we got here,” Kahlan stressed, now that the scare had passed, her anger was making its presence known. “But you decided that the right thing to do was _confess_ her, to be sure?” Kahlan looked at her sister in disappointment as Dennee opened and closed her mouth without saying anything.

“Oh well, I have always wondered if what they say was true,” Cara started with levity. “Turns out death by confession is indeed the worst of fates,” she nodded and suddenly got threateningly close to Dennee. “But don’t you even _think_ of trying that stunt on me again; you won’t be able to succeed and I won’t kill you so swiftly this time,” she warned the Confessor.

“Cara,” Richard said suspiciously, a small smile forming. “Did you let Dennee confess you on purpose?” the Seeker asked, making every pair of eyes snap to Cara in bewilderment.

“They wanted answers and weren’t believing us in the slightest,” she shrugged, as if she had done nothing out of the ordinary. “Plus, I wanted to run the other theory by Darken Rahl, once I got down there,” she continued, immensely enjoying the shocked look on Dennee’s face. “I was sure the kid here would bring me back, so the way I see it, win-win,” she finished simply with a small smile directed at Sarah.

The smile died on her lips as soon as she turned to face Kahlan. Her lover was definitely not happy with this so-called win-win situation, and Cara could tell just by the shared look between them that Kahlan would have words with her once they were alone.

“Just when I think you can’t be more reckless,” Zedd chuckled in amused incredulity. “I don’t know if that was either really brave or incredibly stupid,” he shook his head, knowing which one the Mord’Sith chose just by the proud smirk on her face.

“The method we used was indeed unorthodox,” Estalt interrupted, bringing everyone’s attention to the problem at hand. “But we had to be sure, Mother Confessor,” he said, his head slightly bowed in deference to Kahlan. “We could not risk you, or the girls, in the eventual possibility that they could be related to you,” he finished apologetically.

“To _us_ ,” Kahlan pointed out through a clenched jaw. “The girls are related to me _and_ Cara, and you still put them in danger of not even being born,” she said with barely kept anger.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Bryus started, obviously not wanting to provoke the Mother Confessor but feeling like he needed to point out what they were ignoring. “But there’s still the possibility of these girls being Darken Rahl’s paws, we can’t be sure they’re yours,” he stated, looking wearily at a very confused Sarah.

“And I’m _not_ sorry to disappoint you,” Cara addressed the wizard with a false sweet smile. “But as I was saying, before being interrupted,” she said with a glare to Richard. “I had a little chat with Darken Rahl and he confirmed to me that yes, he had tried to break Confessor children before,” she said as the others gasped. “Nonetheless he never succeeded, the children died young,” she said with finality.

“How can we be sure that’s true?” Dennee asked.

“Want to confess me again?” Cara snapped.

“I didn’t mean to imply you were lying,” Denne said calmly, obviously not wanting to anger the Mord’Sith even more. “I was talking about Rahl,” she clarified.

“He was telling the truth,” Cara said surely. “There’s nothing the man likes more than to boost when he has the upper hand,” she said. “And he thought I was very distraught, so he took the opportunity to mock me, realizing too late that he was being played and telling me what I wanted to know,” she explained with pride.

“We can all agree that the girls are telling the truth then?” Richard asked. “And we are under no spell that distorts our perception of reality?” he added. 

“The matter has been entirely clarified, I would say,” Thoros said, clearing his throat as he approached Cara. “I apologize to you, I hope you understand our motives, but nonetheless we harmed you,” he bowed his head slightly in apology, only getting a stiff nod from Cara, but Kahlan was not about to let this go so easily.

“You _killed_ her,” the Mother Confessor stressed. “Euphemisms won’t minimize what you did,” Kalan pointedly said.

“Not a single one of you thought about looking at me, then looking at her,” Sarah said, pointing to herself and then to Cara. “Then looking back at me and just plain notice the resemblance?” the teen questioned, motioning to her face.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Bryus automatically said and cleared his throat awkwardly as he noticed the glare Kahlan was sending his way.

“I wouldn’t keep provoking my mother, if I were you,” Sarah warned, shaking her head, as she also noticed Kahlan’s irritation. 

“I think we would all benefit from some time to rest,” Zedd interrupted, before heads rolled. “Maybe we should meet in a while to-,” the wizard started but was abruptly interrupted by Cara, something he was rather used to by now.

“I don’t need any rest,” Cara argued. “I’ve died before, multiple times,” she said indifferently. “What we need is to find Alys,” she stated, getting a vigorous nod from Sarah.

“Unfortunately, we have no way to contact Farkas,” Zedd said. “Without him, we have no idea where Alys is,” he shrugged.

“He has to be near the city,” Sarah estimated. “He said he was taking Alys close to Aydindril,” she said, looking expectantly at both her mothers.

“I could send soldiers out to search for the girl,” Dennee hurriedly said, clearly trying to find a way to redeem herself to her sister.

“ _I_ will not send anyone out,” Kahlan said, making sure Dennee got the message that the Mother Confessor was in charge of Aydindril, not her sister. “They would do more harm than good, Farkas could kill Alys if he feels cornered,” she explained, seeing the others nod in agreement.

“Then what?” Sarah questioned. “We just wait around for him to reach out to us?” she asked, clearly not happy with the plan.

“Yes, sweetie, it’s the best thing we can do for now,” Kahlan said, her voice softening as she addressed the teen. “Meanwhile, I have to talk to your mom,” she said, making Cara cringe internally.

“We’ll leave you to it,” Denne said, already making her way towards the exit, followed close by the wizards. “We can talk about how to get Alys after,” she promised, looking at Kahlan.

“This conversation isn’t over, Dennee,” Kahlan said seriously, watching Dennee nod her head in understanding and leave the room with the wizards.

Kahlan kept her eyes on the retreating party until they completely left the room. The brunette was so angry right now, how could Dennee have killed the woman she loved so recklessly? And how could Cara have let her do it? The brunette was having a hard time figuring out who she was madder at. She was brough out of her thoughts by Zedd’s voice.

“You did good, child,” the wizard congratulated Sarah with a smile as he patted her shoulder amicably.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling at Zedd before turning to Cara. “How did you know I would be able to bring you back?” Sarah asked curiously.

“I guess this faith thing rubbed off on me after spending so much time with them,” Cara said, motioning with her eyes to the remaining three adults in the room as she stepped closer to Sarah. “Thank you though, if it weren’t for you, I would be dead,” she smiled, an honest smile that she rarely showed with so much public.

“I was really scared,” Sarah confided as she hugged Cara. “But I did it,” she sighed. “If only I had…” she hugged Cara tighter, leaving unsaid what the others could guess; she regretted not having tried it on Cara, on her own timeline, after the woman died in her arms.

“Oh sweetie, you had no way of knowing, you did your very best,” Kahlan rubbed circles on the distraught girl’s back as she shared a sad knowing look with Cara. “Besides, you had Zedd’s help today,” she pointed out, looking thankfully to the wizard.

“Right, what exactly did you do to me?” she asked turning to Zedd.

“I just helped you focus,” Zedd explained. “Mord’Sith magic is much more calculating than that of a Confessor’s, which has a higher connection to their emotions,” he said. “Your spiraling emotions made you go into the Con Dar earlier; but to accomplish giving the Breath of Life, you needed to be on the other end of the spectrum, completely calm and focused,” he watched as understanding came over the teen’s eyes.

“I was anything but calm when I watched my mom die and Alys be thrown into that portal,” she realized, receiving an understanding nod from Zedd.

“Well, why don’t we take Zedd’s advice and have a little rest to collect ourselves,” Richard suggested with a smile. “And then we find a way to get Alys back,” he said.

“We should do that,” Kahlan agreed with Richard, cupping Sarah’s cheek and kissing the teen’s other cheek tenderly. “I’m sure Farkas knows I’m here already and he will make some form of contact,” she reassured the young brunette. “Have some rest for now; I’ll talk to your mom,” she said, watching by the corner of her eye as Cara stiffened. “And we’ll see you soon,” she assured.

“Okay,” Sarah nodded and hugged Kahlan. “Thanks mommy,” she smiled warmly, finally being able to be open with Kahlan.

Sarah stepped into Cara’s arms next and hugged her tightly, extremely pleased that the woman hugged her just as tight.

“I told you you were good at this comforting thing,” Sarah said in Cara’s ear, making the blonde chuckle good-naturedly. “And by the way,” she continued, whispering conspiratorially in Cara’s ear. “Mommy’s going to bite your head off,” she said, barely able to keep from laughing.

“I know,” Cara simply said, squeezing her daughter one more time as the girl grinned and stepped away from her.

“We’ll leave you too,” Richard said. “Me and Zedd are going to walk around, see if we can pick up anything,” he suggested, looking at his grandfather as the wizard nodded in agreement.

They left the room, Sarah close behind them. None of them noticed as the teen bent down to pick something shiny from the floor that had attracted her attention; seemed like a little stone, very shiny. Absentmindedly, she put it in one of her leather’s tiny pockets and left her mothers to talk.

********************

“How could you let her confess you?” Kahlan wasted no time in asking, as their bedroom’s door closed.

“I didn’t,” Cara said simply, hands up in a pacifying gesture.

“You didn’t?” Kahlan raised one eyebrow, her hands going to her hips. “You just boasted to everyone about your big brilliant plan of being confessed by my sister,” she said, starting to pace back and forth. “You subjected yourself to an extremely painful death, so you could go to the Underworld and _clarify_ some things with Darken Rahl,” she continued, getting more furious by the second. “And you _hoped_ that Sarah, who had told you before couldn’t give the Breath of Life, would bring you back,” Kahlan finished, stopping her pacing abruptly and looking at a very still Cara. “Did I miss anything?” she asked.

Kahlan’s emotions had taken a full turn in the last few hours. She went from confusion, to anger, to panic, to despair, to regret, to bliss and to anger again in a really small amount of time. She was still processing what had happened in the last minutes; she was incredibly grateful and relieved that Cara was alive, but knowing the Mord’Sith had willingly put her life in danger like that, in such a definite way, left her angrier at Cara than anyone else, because Cara had been the one responsible for taking away the most important person to her, Cara herself.

“Can you please stop ranting and listen to me?” Cara said, slowly approaching the visibly upset brunette.

“Ranting?” Kahlan said exasperated, watching as Cara got closer and closer to her. “How can you have such a frivolous attitude about this?” the brunette protested, refusing to let the blonde get away with this behavior.

Cara had no intention of upsetting Kahlan even more. She had already said some things she regretted, mainly voicing her doubts about the veracity of Kahlan’s feelings for her. As if she hadn’t done enough already, this dying thing was not playing in her favor either; but the thing was, Cara couldn’t help but be distracted, a furious Kahlan was always, without exception, a very sexy Kahlan.

So, while the brunette kept accusing her of Creator knew what – she was having a little difficulty concentrating on the words – Cara cupped Kahlan’s face while she was still talking and silenced her with a kiss.

Kahlan immediately melted into the kiss, her arms going on their own accord around Cara’s back, pulling the blonde to her. As her lover pressed her plump lips to hers, not really moving, Kahlan felt the urgency behind it, as well as the peaceful feeling of being with the one you loved.

Cara pulled herself away just enough to look into the brunette’s eyes and watched as a lone tear fell and was caught in her gloved fingers. She captured Kahlan’s lips again, sighing as she felt her lover kiss her back with a fervor that was a reflection of the fear the brunette surely felt moments before.

“I hate to see you cry,” Cara whispered against the Confessor’s lips, using her fingers to wipe Kahlan’s cheeks gently.

“You’ve told me that before,” Kahlan whispered back, her forehead resting against Cara’s.

“And yet I caused it,” the blonde said with a frown.

“You can’t expect me to condone this crazy decision of yours,” Kahlan shook her head, moving away from Cara to look into her eyes seriously. “This was too reckless, Cara,” she said, her voice gaining momentum.

“What I was trying to tell you,” Cara began, gently putting a silencing finger on Kahlan’s lips. “Is that I didn’t do it on purpose, your sister _did_ catch me by surprise,” she revealed, watching as Kahlan’s eyes widened.

“How could my sister catch you by surprise?” Kahlan asked disbelievingly. “How can anyone catch you by surprise, I thought that was impossible,” she said.

“Thank you for the confidence,” Cara grinned, earning herself a slap on the arm as Kahlan was impatiently waiting for an explanation. “I just never thought she had the courage to pull off something like that,” she said. “I assumed that if she wanted to kill me, she would have done it after we resurrected Richard,” she continued. “How could I know confessing me would shed any light on this matter?” she shrugged.

“Then why did you make them think you let her confess you?” Kahlan started to ask, but as she watched the blonde raise a single eyebrow, realization dawned on her. “You had to have the upper hand, Creator forbid the great Cara Mason was actually bested,” she said.

“I was not bested!” Cara automatically denied. “She caught me off guard, that’s all,” she said, clearly ashamed. “And besides, that’s not it,” she continued. “Not entirely anyway,” she admitted after Kahlan fixed her with a knowing look. “Better to let her and those wizards know they can’t play us; if they try something like that again, they’ll think twice, knowing that we’ll probably be two steps ahead,” she concluded.

“My Cara, always the strategist,” Kahlan smiled, lifting one hand to caress the blonde’s cheek.

Kahlan’s words made something stir inside her. The fear she had felt before, when she pondered the idea of Kahlan’s feelings for her being part of some illusion casted upon them, had nothing against the fear she felt right before being confessed, the fear of losing Kahlan for certain. She couldn’t help the tears that brimmed in her eyes as she recalled the anguish she had felt knowing there was nothing she could do to prevent leaving Kahlan’s side.

“Yours,” Cara simply said, a lone tear sliding down her cheek.

“As I’m yours,” Kahlan confirmed, quietly but surely, searching Cara’s face closely while giving the blonde some time, knowing she needed it to deal with what she was feeling.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve told you before,” Cara started, taking Kahlan’s hands in her own and looking deeply into blue eyes. “I never should have doubted your feelings for me,” she admitted.

“No, you really shouldn’t have,” Kahlan said pointedly. “But I understand why you did,” her voice softening. “What we have is so intense that I forget that is also relatively new,” she said with a small smile. “And I’m not just talking about time, I never felt this way about anyone, Cara,” she clarified.

“Me neither, as I’m sure you can guess,” the Mord’Sith said with a rueful smile.

“I know, that’s why I also want to apologize to you,” Kahlan said. “I know how difficult it is for you to open up and make yourself vulnerable,” she continued, lifting one hand to comb her fingers soothingly through Cara’s hair. “And I have to admit that what my sister told us wasn’t entirely preposterous, I also found myself having doubts when I went down to talk to Sarah,” she admitted with a sigh.

“You did?” Cara asked, moving her free hand to Kahlan’s lower back, pulling the brunette closer to her. “But you seemed so resolute,” she said, her head tilting slightly to the side.

“I was letting my fear talk for me,” Kahlan acknowledged. “I think the mere hypothesis that what we have could be the result of an illusion, blocked my ability to think clearly,” she shook her head, letting her hand drop to rest on Cara’s chest.

“So, we both let the fear of the same thing control us,” Cara started, surrounding Kahlan’s waist with her arms. “But each of us went in an opposite direction.”

“You couldn’t believe and I couldn’t let go,” Kahlan agreed, lifting her other hand to caress the blonde’s nape hair. “Neither was the ideal and we ended up hurting each other,” the brunette said, kissing Cara’s cheek softly and making small circles with her fingers on the blonde’s chest.

“Next time we’ll just have to find the middle ground,” Cara chuckled, enjoying her lover’s sweet caresses.

“We’ll learn together, I’m sure of it,” Kahlan said confidently, pausing her caresses and looking deeply into the bright green eyes in front of her. “Just promise me you’ll be careful with yourself,” she pleaded as much with her voice as with her eyes. “When I heard you scream and then saw you lying there-“ she closed her eyes tightly and her voice broke with emotion.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” Cara requested in a soothing whisper, cupping Kahlan’s chin and making the brunette meet her eyes. 

Cara looked deep into Kahlan’s eyes, letting her own walls fall before the Confessor. She knew already that being with Kahlan was the scariest thing she has ever done; but after waking up again in the Underworld, not really knowing if Sarah would be able to bring her back, she was surer than ever that she would do anything to be with Kahlan. The feelings she was taught to identify as weaknesses, next to this woman only made her stronger; she would fight against her old instincts and let Kahlan lead her when she felt her insecurities hold her back again. She would follow Kahlan and grow with her.

“I’m right here,” Cara assured, kissing Kahlan’s lips reassuringly. “I’m not going to leave you,” she promised in between soft kisses.

“You better not,” Kahlan warned with a smile, tracing Cara’s lower lip gently with her finger. “I don’t want to feel like that ever again,” she mused, her eyes suddenly loosing focus as she went inside her head.

“Stop,” Cara simply said, kissing the brunette’s wandering finger and watching as Kahlan focused her eyes questioningly on her again. “I know what you are thinking about, don’t,” the blonde insisted.

“When Sarah told us about how she watched you die in the future, she yelled at me saying I had no idea how bad I would feel,” Kahlan recalled as Cara rubbed comforting circles on her lower back. “Now I know,” she shrugged weakly.

“All you need to know is that I’m right here in front of you,” Cara insisted.

“I’m sorry, you’re right,” Kahlan shook her head. “Too many intense emotions, my mind just got away from me,” she said, taking a deep breath.

“I love you,” Cara said softly, watching Kahlan’s worried expression soften.

“I love you, too,” Kahlan replied with a watery smile, before pulling the blonde into a meaningful kiss.

Cara reciprocated the kiss with intensity, pulling the brunette even closer to her. She didn’t care what the future had in store for them, all she cared about right now was making this amazing woman happy. All her life she was never afraid of dying, she lived to serve and if she succumbed it would have been while doing her duty. But now, if she was completely honest with herself, she was afraid of dying, she didn’t want to leave Kahlan. But fearing death didn’t meant she was afraid of living. With Kahlan by her side, she would never be afraid of life and of love.

“No more gloomy thoughts?” Cara questioned with a smile as she trailed kisses up Kahlan’s jawline.

“Mmmm, no,” Kahlan moaned, getting lost in the blonde’s increasingly hot caresses. “You’re very good at chasing _any_ thoughts away,” she guaranteed, her hand moving from Cara’s chest to slid up the blonde’s back and grab a leather clad shoulder.

“Glad to be of service,” Cara chuckled and stepped away from Kahlan, smirking at the disappointed look on the brunette’s flustered face.

Cara unbuckled her belt and let it fall to the floor, along with her agiels, watching Kahlan raise her brow in understanding. She then took off her gloves slowly, all the while enjoying Kahlan’s barely kept eagerness. Not making her wait anymore, Cara placed her hands on Kahlan’s hips and met the brunette’s lips hungrily. She pushed Kahlan back until the brunette’s backside hit a table behind her. Grinning into the kiss, Cara lowered her hands to caress the other woman’s bottom, making her moan into the kiss; then she moved her hands to the back of Kahlan’s thighs and pushed the brunette up on the table, not caring that the trinkets that were adorning it scattered to the floor.

Kahlan moaned into the kiss and opened her legs to accommodate Cara between them. She smiled when she heard the blonde’s moan as she hooked one leg over Cara’s hip and pulled the blonde against her center, while they kept kissing each other hotly. Kahlan needed this; she needed to feel Cara close to her, kissing her, loving her, to make sure her lover was here, alive, with her.

Cara trailed one hand up Kahlan’s calf as she explored the brunette’s mouth with her tongue, feeling Kahlan melt more and more in her arms. She continued to move her hand up the brunette’s leg, slipping it under the hem of the dress to feel the soft skin beneath. She flattened her palm on Kahlan’s muscular thigh, moaning as the brunette instinctively pulled her closer. Cara broke the intense kiss and trailed kisses down the brunette’s neck, nipping at the juncture of Kahlan’s neck and shoulder.

Kahlan hissed in pleasure as she felt her lover’s teeth sink into her skin, not hard enough to break it, but hard enough to send a jolt directly to her center, making her press more into Cara. She tangled her fingers in blonde locks, as Cara lavished her neck with hot kisses. Her breathing was becoming shallower as she felt the blonde’s hand move along the inside of her thigh, making her gasp when it cupped her center through her underwear.

“Want me to stop?” Cara asked mischievously on the brunette’s ear, before trailing kisses along her jaw and watching Kahlan’s eyes as she pressed her fingers against the brunette’s clit.

“Don’t you dare,” Kahlan half said half moaned, as she bit her lower lip and put one of her hands flat on the table to push herself more against Cara’s warm fingers.

Cara readily complied, starting a circling motion with her fingers on the brunette’s clit and watching in delight as Kahlan arched her back, undulating her hips onto the blonde’s fingers. The Mord’Sith supported Kahlan’s lower back, never stopping her finger’s motion as she bent to kiss and lick Kahlan’s cleavage.

Kahlan whimpered when Cara’s plum lips traveled along the top of her breasts, leaving scorching kisses and she went. Feeling a pleasant tingling in her lower stomach, Kahlan cupped the blonde’s cheek to get her attention.

“Cara, wait,” Kahlan said, making the blonde stop her ministrations and face her.

“Hmm?” Cara nipped at the brunette’s lower lip with her teeth.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Kahlan smiled at her lover’s playful bite and chuckled as Cara just looked blankly back at her. “Rada’Han,” she mouthed to the blonde.

“Right,” Cara said, finally understanding. “We don’t want a repeat of earlier, it’s definitely not pleasant,” she said as she went to their bags to retrieve the Rada’Han.

“Please don’t kill the mood,” Kahlan said while watching her lover walk back to her, the needed item in her hand.

“Sorry,” Cara said sheepishly, closing the metal collar around the brunette’s neck. “How can I make it up to you?” she asked enticingly, rubbing Kahlan’s exposed thighs and then lifting the brunette’s legs to wrap them around her own waist.

“You can start by kissing me,” Kahlan suggested, pulling Cara by the leather collar so she could capture the blonde’s lips in a heated kiss, sighing contently at the perfect dance their lips already knew by heart. “And then,” she whispered hotly against Cara’s lips while she grabbed the blonde’s hand and guided it under her dress. “You can make me scream your name,” she finished, guiding Cara’s hand under her underwear and prompting the blonde’s fingers to resume their pleasant ministrations.

Cara bit her lower lip and exhaled the breath she had been holding while Kahlan spoke to her seductively and directed her hand. It marveled her how Kahlan could be so damn sexy and uninhibited with her; she always suspected the brunette had this fire inside her, but experiencing it first hand was always exhilarating. She pressed her fingers more firmly to Kahlan’s clit and started to move them on her own as the brunette’s hand left hers to cup her cheek and bring her back into a passionate kiss.

With a guttural moan, Kahlan arched her back and placed both hands flat on the table, pushing herself against Cara’s fingers. The blonde left her lips to kiss a path down her neck, never stopping the circling motion of her fingers over the brunette’s clit.

Cara clumsily unlaced the front of Kahlan’s dress, loosening the fabric to give her more access to the brunette’s ample breasts that were pushing against the black leather underneath. Sucking softly on a creamy mound, Cara eased one finger slowly inside Kahlan, feeling the brunette’s walls squeeze her welcomingly.

“More,” Kahlan begged huskily, her eyes getting darker with desire.

Cara wasted no time and slid another finger inside the brunette’s warm center, biting her lip as Kahlan kept rubbing herself on the heel of her hand. Curling her fingers, Cara watched the brunette gasp in pleasure and let herself be guided by her lover back into an ardent kiss, groaning when Kahlan fisted her hair.

Kahlan kissed Cara with abandon, letting her tongue duel with the blonde’s until she had to stop for air. Circling Cara’s neck, the brunette pushed her body against her lover’s as her movements became more erratic with the crescent wave of pleasure that she could feel coming.

Noticing how Kahlan was close to release, Cara sped up her thrusts and buried her face on the brunette’s neck, sucking just under her earlobe until she felt Kahlan squeeze her fingers hard and freeze in her arms, while a wave of energy surged threw her.

“Cara!” Kahlan screamed, her eyes turning completely black, as her orgasm hit her with force. Panting, she whimpered as Cara’s skillful fingers kept making her feel aftershocks until she finally calmed down and rested her forehead on the blonde’s shoulder.

After making sure Kahlan was completely satisfied, Cara withdrew her fingers very slowly and hugged the brunette to her, kissing her neck soothingly. She needed this more than she realized; feeling Kahlan in her arms, giving herself completely to her, grounded and calmed her in a way nothing else could before. She kissed Kahlan’s neck one last time before facing the content woman.

“What is it?” Kahlan asked while she pecked Cara’s cheeks, after she noticed the pensive look on Cara’s face.

“Your power feels good,” Cara mused, surprising Kahlan.

“What do you mean?” Kahlan asked curiously, now more focused on what the blonde was saying.

“Your sister’s power was really unpleasant,” Cara started, seeing Kahlan frown but otherwise not interrupting her. “Like a massive shock to your whole body, it felt constricting and oppressive,” she tried to explain the best she could what being confessed felt like. “But when you release your power it’s like a warm wave,” she said contemplatively. “Like I’m in a hot spring and a wave comes at me; it’s soothing and relaxing,” she smiled.

“That’s probably because of the Rada’Han taming the power,” Kahlan supposed, but couldn’t help but smile at Cara’s heartfelt description of her power.

“Probably,” Cara agreed half-heartedly. “Or maybe it’s because I’m _so_ good even your power mellows under my touch,” she shrugged, earning herself a slap on the shoulder.

“Why must you always be so smug?” the brunette’s grinned.

“Oh please,” Cara rolled her eyes playfully. “You love it,” she teased, laughing when Kahlan shrugged in defeat.

As the women were enjoying each other’s soft touches and playful banter, a knock was heard at the door.

“It’s Sarah,” the voice announced, before any of them could react. “Can I come in?”

Kahlan widened her eyes and pushed Cara off her, while starting to lace the front of her dress hurriedly. 

“Get the key,” Kahlan said urgently. When Cara didn’t move immediately, she pointed to the Rada’Han still around her neck and pushed Cara forcefully towards their packs.

“Coming, coming” Cara appeased as she turned around to rummage in the pack. “Or not, apparently,” she mumbled to herself.

“One second, sweetie,” Kahlan shouted in the door’s direction. “I heard you!” she whispered back to Cara.

“And what are you going to do about it?” Cara smirked, looking seductively over her shoulder, but quickly ducked to avoid the candle that flew at her head.

“Shut up and get the damn key already,” Kahlan hurried, sighing in relief as Cara finally got the key and she opened the Rada’Han, placing it haphazardly on the table and went to open the door.

“Hey sweetie,” she greeted her daughter warmly, “Come on in,” she invited, opening the door wider to let the girl pass.

“Zedd sent me to get you so we could all eat something,” she informed them, walking towards the center of the room. “He said all this worrying lowered his sugar levels,” she chuckled, before noticing something shine on the table.

“What is a Rada’Han doing here?” Sarah asked curiously, peering at the object.

“I have no idea, it was already there when we got here,” Kahlan quickly said and frowned when she saw Cara purse her lips and sigh.

Kahlan looked from Cara to Sarah, who did a double take and looked at her searchingly. Then she watched as the teen’s face went from confused to shocked to embarrassed.

“You know what?” Sarah said, already turning to leave. “Forget I asked,” she nodded to herself, not meeting her mother’s eyes. “You just come when you’re ready,” she said, opening the door. “Outside! I meant, come outside when you’re...” she gestured aimlessly and then just groaned in frustration, rolling her eyes and going out the door, still mumbling unintelligibly to herself.

“Creator,” Kahlan sighed in relief when the door closed. “Do you think she noticed anything?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course not,” Cara said with wide eyes. “You lied so well, after all,” she said slowly, waiting for Kahlan to caught up and nodding slowly when the brunette slapped her forehead in realization.

“I lied to a Confessor,” Kahlan groaned.

“Yes, how very clever of you,” Cara teased. “And kind too, scarring the kid for life like that,” she added with a mockingly impressed look.

“Spirits,” Kahlan cursed, “It’s all that leather, it confuses me! It’s easier to remember with Alys,” she mumbled. “Oh Creator, did our daughter just caught us having sex?” she gasped.

“We weren’t having sex exactly,” Cara disagreed. “Which is too bad, because it was going to be my turn,” she pouted, but her eyes showed her mischievous intentions. 

“Cara!” Kahlan admonished. “This is no laughing matter,” she chastised, slapping Cara’s hand away when the blonde tried to circle her waist.

“Well, serves you right,” Cara stated, not fazed at all by Kahlan’s attitude and circling the Confessor’s waist again to pull her into a loose hug. “Have a taste of your own medicine for once” she grinned, clearly enjoying Kahlan’s red face. “Next time let me do the talking, it will probably save the kid, and _you_ , a lot of embarrassment,” she chuckled and kissed Kahlan’s pouty lips.

“Doesn’t this bother you?” Kahlan asked, watching as Cara shrugged indifferently.

“There’s very little that bothers me,” Cara said. “Plus, I’m sure Sarah knows her parents have sex,” she raised one eyebrow.

“It’s one thing knowing, but it’s another to be confronted by it,” Kahlan stared at the blonde.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Cara warned. “You’re the one that messed up this time,” she grinned as Kahlan hide her face on the blonde’s neck and groaned in much the same way Sarah had.

“Spirits, this is so awkward,” she sighed.

“You’re a big girl, I’m sure you’ll get over it,” Cara quipped, grinning when Kahlan just pinched her side in protest. “Are you still mad at me?” Cara whispered in the brunette’s ear, her tone becoming more serious.

“No,” Kahlan lifted her head and smiled at her lover. “Don’t tell me you’re disappointed?” she chuckled when Cara pouted again.

“It’s just that you are so hot when you get angry,” Cara said as she kissed Kahlan slowly. “And I was left high and dry here, don’t you have any mercy?” the blonde asked, tilting her head.

“I see what you’re doing here,” Kahlan squinted playfully. “I said you’re cute and now you’re abusing that power,” the brunette laughed when Cara just wiggled her eyebrows.

“Maybe,” Cara said noncommittally. “Is it working?” she asked hopefully.

“No way,” Kahlan shook her head. “We have somewhere to be, remember?” Kahlan said, turning around and starting to walk towards the bedroom door.

“Not so fast,” Cara said, pulling Kahlan’s hand so the brunette landed in her arms again and planted a short, but intense, kiss on the smiling lips.

Kahlan smiled and kissed Cara one last time, before they walked to the door hand in hand.


	23. Chapter 23

Cara and Kahlan walked together along the corridors of the palace to meet the Zedd, Richard and Sarah for a meal. The Mother Confessor looked towards the blonde and smiled at the calm look she could see on the usual serious Mord’Sith.

“What?” Cara asked, noticing Kahlan’s eyes on her.

“Nothing,” Kahlan shrugged. “You just seem… calm,” she said with a contemplative smile.

“Because normally I’m so agitated?” Cara chuckled as she met the brunette’s eyes.

“Well, when you put it like that,” Kahlan grinned, noticing they had arrived at their destination and pausing at the door. “But I meant that you look at peace, happy,” she clarified, caressing Cara’s cheek.

“I wonder who’s fault that is?” Cara mused with a grin, circling Kahlan’s waist and pulling the Confessor closer to her.

“Mine, I hope?” Kahlan raised an eyebrow and grinned when Cara just nodded before kissing her lips softly.

Kahlan encircled Cara’s neck with her arms and kissed the blonde back with tenderness. She loved that she could see this transformation on the usually stoic Mord’Sith. Cara had come a long way in dealing with her emotions and the Confessor couldn’t help but be proud that she had been a big part of that process. Kahlan ended the kiss, smiling at the blonde, but the smile faded when she looked to the door next to them and then to the end f the corridor.

“You’re not coming in, are you?” Cara said, noticing Kahlan’s pensive look.

“I’ll meet you in a bit,” Kahlan confirmed, looking back at Cara. “I have to talk to my sister,” she said with a sigh.

“Kahlan,” Cara started, but pursed her lips, not sure how Kahlan would react. “Don’t be too hard on your sister.”

“Don’t be too hard on my sister?” Kahlan repeated disbelievingly. “She killed you or did you forget?” she asked.

“Trust me, that’s one experience I’ll never forget,” Cara raised her eyebrows and shook her head slowly. “But I did start it,” she added with a shrug.

“You mean you killed her first and now you’re even?” Kahlan guessed the blonde’s line of thinking and took a step back from Cara when the Mord’Sith just nodded. “That’s not how things work; what she did was extremely reckless and I’m not so sure it wasn’t born out of revenge,” she replied, her expression hardening into the one of the Mother Confessor.

“You can’t deny she was entitled to it,” Cara pointed out, aware that she had wronged Dennee and her family and she never got any punishment for that.

“She’s not a commoner that can seek revenge without thinking of consequences beyond the immediate satisfaction of their desires,” Kahlan argued without faltering. “She’s a Confessor, representing me in the high chair of Aydindril, nonetheless. He actions have to be guided by justice, not revenge.”

“What about me then?” Cara challenged; her voice steady. “I killed not only your sister, but every single Confessor alive, except you; don’t I deserve to be brought to justice?” she questioned.

“That’s different,” Kahlan disagreed. “You were just following orders, Dennee acted on her own account,” she continued.

“Orders or not, I did it. And the only reason I didn’t try to kill you is because I wasn’t assigned that particular task,” Cara said, her voice breaking slightly, making Kahlan soften her expression. “You spared my life at Stowcroft, even when you had just discovered I was the one responsible for all those deaths.”

“You’re only proving my point, Cara,” Kahlan pointed out with a small smile. “I spared your life because it was the right thing to do, you were on trial essentially for being who you are, for being Mord’Sith, and for,” she trailed off with a vague gesture of her hand, avoiding mentioning the death of Cara’s father by the blonde’s own hand, but knowing Cara understood what she meant. “And despite wanting nothing but revenge back then, I chose justice on that trial and I chose to protect the Seeker after. Those are the kind of personal sacrifices someone in my position has to make, and Dennee forgot about her position. That’s the difference.”

“I understand all that and you’re right, of course,” Cara agreed, fixing Kahlan with her eyes. “I just mean that if you could end up forgiven me, even if you didn’t like me back then and you did want revenge for what I had done, you certainly can forgive your own sister now,” she concluded.

“You have no idea how it warms me to hear you say those words,” Kahlan smiled and kissed the blonde’s cheek softly, a thankful gesture. “I can understand what you mean but I’m not only Dennee’s older sister here, I’m the Mother Confessor and the people who were supposed to rule in my place, to advise the one sitting on the chair, made a decision that could have had disastrous consequences to our future or even our immediate present,“ Kahlan reminded solemnly, watching Cara bit the inside of her cheek but otherwise not disagreeing with her.

“Do what needs to be done,” Cara nodded in agreement, confident in Kahlan’s judgment. “I certainly know by experience that you don’t let justice be mistaken by revenge,” she smiled.

Kahlan nodded and smiled. If anyone told her months ago that Cara would be telling her to temper her judgment and forgive someone that had killed her, she would have laughed in their faces. But here she was, asking her for mercy to the woman that had confessed her. She really couldn’t be prouder of the Mord’Sith.

“I’ll take your words into consideration,” she conceded with a nod. “And I did, you know?” Kahlan added softly, moving back into Cara’s personal space and tucking a stray blonde hair behind he lover’s ear.

“You did what?” Cara asked with a confused tilt of her head.

“Like you, back then,” Kahlan admitted, her hands resting on the blonde’s shoulders. “I just did so against my will,” she chuckled ruefully. “As much as I wanted to deny it, you were not like any other Mord’Sith I had met before; you were not like anyone I had ever met before,” she smiled and kissed Cara’s lips.

“You caught my attention from the start too,” Cara circled the brunette’s waist once more. “There’s no denying how attractive you are and since you were pretty much scowling at me all the time, that just added to the alure,” she smirked and raised an impish eyebrow, making Kahlan chuckle and roll her eyes. “But you also were fearless when you talked to me, always fair and never afraid of my attitude,” she recalled. “I have to admit that I greatly enjoyed provoking you to raise a reaction out of you, but you handled that damn well, it impressed me.” She grinned, recalling the multiple times she purposefully provoked the Confessor.

“I always knew you took some devious pleasure in pushing my buttons,” Kahlan scrunched her nose and bit Cara’s lower lip playfully. “You intrigued me more than scared me,” Kahlan mused. “Somedays I had no idea what to do with you and your stubbornness and aloofness,” she chuckled. “But I think I found a way around all that.”

“That you did and it was no easy task,” Cara confirmed. “So, I’m sure you’ll find a way here too,” she assured before kissing Kahlan.

The Mother Confessor sighed when the kiss ended and she gave Cara a short nod before turning to go look for her sister. She had to admit Cara had a point, Dennee was her sister and she deserved to be listened, but that would be a hard thing to do when the image of Cara’s dead in her arms was still fresh in her mind. She took a deep breath to calm herself; she would do her best to be fair and not let her feelings guide her, as much as part of her wanted to do just that.

********************

After Kahlan walked down the corridor, Cara watched her go until she turned a corner and only then did the blonde walk through the door beside her. Inside the room were Zedd, Richard and Sarah, all of them laughing at something the teen was saying. Cara took a moment to observe them and smiled at the easy way her daughter was in the men’s company, they clearly had a good relationship in the future.

“Cara, finally,” Zedd said, noticing the Mord’Sith entering the room. “Come sit with us, the food is amazing, I asked for it to be delivered from Ambrosio’s,” he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, as if she would know that place or how good the food there was supposed to be.

“If you don’t hurry, these two will probably eat everything in here,” Richard said with a laugh as Cara looked questionably at Sarah. “Oh don’t be so surprised, looks like Sarah learned to eat with Zedd, given the chance of a feast, ” he said playfully, earning a twin glare from the other two.

“I’m growing, I need sustenance,” Sarah justified with a shrug. “What’s your excuse, Zedd?” the teen looked at the wizard with a grin behind the chicken leg she was eating.

“I’m a very powerful wizard, therefore I expend tremendous amounts of energy with magic,” he said, as dignifying as he could with sauce dripping from his chin. “I need to replenish my reservoirs,” he finished, looking with a serious expression at an incredulous Cara.

“The kid I believe,” Cara said slowly, approaching the table with steady steps. “But you wizard, you just latch at any excuse to fill that bottomless pit you call a stomach,” the blonde put her hands on the table and leaned in, smirking at Zedd’s glare.

“She’s not wrong Zedd,” Richard agreed. “You can stop pretending with us, we won’t judge you,” he assured playfully.

“Speak for yourself, Seeker,” Cara drawled. “I judge him every day,” she quipped as Zedd just rolled his eyes.

“We’ll see who laughs when we are back on the road and only my amazing culinary skills can turn simple vegetables into a delicacy,” Zedd complained with a huff.

“Who told you your food is anything close to a delicacy?” Cara asked, her eyes widening comically. “Probably Kahlan, right? Sometimes she’s just too nice,” she shook her head to herself.

“I don’t recall you complaining,” Zedd pined Cara with his eyes.

“That’s because you’re growing deaf in your old age,” the blonde shot back. “And on the road, we can’t exactly be picky,” she said, looking at Richard for support and rolling her eyes when the coward just raised his hands in a dismissing gesture.

“I like your food, Zedd,” Sarah said with a smile at the wizard.

“Imagine that, despite being raised by you this girl has manners,” Zedd taunted Cara. “I guess we have Kahlan’s niceness to thank for, after all,” he added bitingly.

“Actually, mom is a lot stricter when it comes to manners,” Sarah disagreed, motioning to Cara with a tilt of her head. “You would be surprised,” she nodded at the wizard, that lowered his face back to the food after the blonde smirked victoriously at him.

“Where’s Kahlan?” Richard asked after the banter died down.

“She went to talk to Dennee,” Cara said somberly, as both men just nodded, nothing else needing to be said for all of them knew that would be a difficult conversation. “Sarah, come here with me for a second.”

Cara approached Sarah and grabbed the teen lightly by the arm to direct her away from the others. She bit back a smile when she saw the brunette reluctantly accompany her, probably suspecting already the subject her mother wanted to broach with her.

“Listen kid,” Cara started, feeling a little nervous. “You mother is a little embarrassed by what happened earlier,” she said reluctantly.

“Yes, I noticed,” Sarah nodded without looking at Cara. “It’s not exactly comfortable for me either, so how about we don’t talk about this anymore?” she suggested hastily and made to go back to the table, but Cara’s hand stopped her.

“Alright, I get you,” Cara said a little awkwardly. “Just wanted to apologize and make sure you were okay.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, it was just bad timing on my part,” Sarah assured, looking at Cara for the first time since they started this awkward chat. “It’s hardly the first time it happened anyways,” she mumbled with a sigh.

“Sorry about that,” Cara said with sympathetic wince.

“At least this time you were the one to talk to me,” Sarah brightened. “The other times you harassed mother to do the talking and you just conveniently ignored the entire thing,” she chuckled.

“Well, I guess it’s not as difficult for me now,” she supposed, wondering how her future self had dealt with this. “I don’t have the same relationship with you that I’m sure I will in the future,” she supposed.

“Yeah, I can understand that,” Sarah smiled.

“Let’s get back to the table,” Cara said as put her arm protectively around her daughter’s shoulder. “I’d like some food too, before the wizard makes it disappear,” she said, sharing a mischievous look with Sarah while they both went to join the men around the table.

********************

Kahlan sat in the Confessor’s chair, her arms poised on the armrests as she stared focused ahead while waiting for Dennee to arrive after being summoned. She was apparently calm, her straight posture that of the Mother Confessor of the Midlands, ready to judge. Her eyes flicked to the door once it opened, Dennee entering and bowing slightly, before standing a couple passes in front of Kahlan.

“You sent for me?” Dennee said, her breathing betraying her nervousness.

“I did,” Kahlan confirmed, paying close attention to her sister’s movements. “Look at me when I address you,” she demanded, face impassive as Dennee lifted her eyes to her. “Explain your actions and keep in mind that you’re not speaking to your sister right now,” she warned with an icy tone.

“Yes, Mother Confessor,” Dennee deferred with respect, knowing perfectly well she was being judged. “I did what I think was the right thing to do, in the face of the dilemma I was presented with,” Dennee said steadily, her eyes bravely facing Kahlan’s. “I know now I was wrong; I misjudged the situation and I’m ashamed to admit… I also let my feelings towards the Mord’Sith cloud what should have been an impartial judgment.” she finished, her eyes never leaving the Mother Confessor’s, for she knew the ruler of the Midlands was searching for the truth in them.

“You killed the woman I love,” Kahlan started, getting up from the chair and approaching Dennee. “You, of all people, know exactly what that feels like, how could you do that to me?” Kahlan asked, her voice trembling almost imperceivably for the first time.

“I was trying to save you, I didn-“ Dennee stopped abruptly as Kahlan’s hand wrapped menacingly around her throat.

“Cara was never a threat to me,” Kahlan said firmly, her eyes piercing her sister’s. “You were reckless Dennee,” she continued. “Or did you and your council not think about the consequences of such an act?” Kahlan challenged, letting go of Dennee’s neck with a shove. “I could have confessed you all!” she shouted, turning away from her sister.

“You would never hurt any of us-“

“You fool!” Kahlan shouted, turning back to face Dennee, her eyes full of anger and disbelief. “If Sarah hadn’t brought her back… the Con Dar would have robbed the free will of everyone in that room, of that you can be absolutely sure,” she guaranteed. “Do you even begin to understand what that would have entailed?” she shook her head when her sister remained quiet. “That stunt of yours endangered not only you and your friends, but you jeopardized the Seeker’s quest and with it, the lives of everyone in this world.”

“I didn’t think that could be a possibility,” Dennee admitted, closing her eyes in the face of the gravity of her actions.

“No, you didn’t,” Kahlan shook her head, her voice quieter but not less angry. “Neither you or the council I trusted to be competent to predict such fallout,” she said.

“I shouldn’t have killed the Mord’Sith,” Dennee said quietly.

“Cara,” Kahlan interrupted once again. “Her name is Cara,” she repeated.

“I shouldn’t have killed…Cara,” Dennee sighed in regret. “I should have found another way, even if my only goal was to protect you; I’ll abide by any decision you make, Mother Confessor,” she bowed her head, prepared to accept the verdict.

“Were you any other person than my sister you would never have left that room alive,” Kahlan said vehemently, watching as Dennee swallowed with difficulty, a statement to her fear.

“I know,” Dennee whispered as a lonely tear escaped down her cheek.

“Cara asked me to have mercy on you,” Kahlan revealed after a pause. “That _monster_ , as you put it, asked me to forgive the woman that killed her,” she stated, watching her sister closely. “What does that say about her, Dennee?”

“She’s not who I thought she was,” Dennee acknowledged. “I saw it clearly when I confessed her and she does love you deeply,” she added.

“And don’t you ever forget that,” Kahlan said. “Because if you do anything to harm her ever again, she _will_ kill you… and I won’t stand in her way,” her intense stare a promise that Dennee understood clearly.

“I swear to you, here and now, I will never do anything against her, ever again,” Dennee said, meeting the Mother Confessor’s eyes solemnly.

Kahlan could read the truth in Dennee’s words and the regret in her eyes. She knew Dennee tried to do her best to resolve an incredible complex dilemma, with the least damage possible. She just forgot that what was just collateral damage to her, it was Kahlan’s whole world. The Mother Confessor was about to pass her judgment when there was a knock on the door, followed by a guard entering the room after her permission.

“Mother Confessor,” the guard said with a bow. “The council is here, as you asked,” he informed.

“Let them through,” the Mother Confessor ordered, watching as the three wizards entered the room apprehensively and stood waiting in front of her.

“Mother Confessor, if I may-“ Bryus said hurriedly, his eyes fixed on the ground.

“You may not, wizard,” Kahlan said coldly. “I talk here, not you, this is not a debate,” she said, addressing the three at once. “You failed Aydindril. With your miscalculated theories, you led the Confessor in charge into committing a great mistake, one that could have jeopardized everything we have been sacrificing for in the last months.”

Kahlan watched the constricted faces of the wizards, noticing that even if they regretted the consequences of their actions, there still was this arrogancy about them, that told her they wouldn’t fully understand the gravity of it, still thinking deep down that they had made the right choice. She had made her decision and continued talking in the unmistaken strict voice of the Mother Confessor.

“I can see that you did what you did with good intentions,” Kahlan nodded. “But the greatest harm can result from the best intentions,” she continued, purposefully reciting the Wizard’s second rule. “And I can’t allow Aydindril’s council to be so small minded and rash when it comes to delicate situations, that could endanger the wellbeing of my people as well as my own,” she paused for a moment before continuing. “You are hereby removed from your seats on the council and you must leave Aydindril, you have until tomorrow at first light,” she declared undoubtedly, not a single one of them daring to refute her decision.

“Yes, Mother Confessor,” Thoros acquiesced with a bowing head. “Please allow me to apologized for letting you and Aydindril down; we will leave today,” he said, knowing there was no way they could defend what they had done and that the Mother Confessor was being benevolent in not having them killed instead.

“And you, Dennee,” Kahlan turned to her sister. “I can’t ban you from Aydindril, we are the only two Confessors alive and I need you by my side,” she admitted. “Cara also wronged you in the past, caused you a great pain. You did pay her in the same coin, so it’s my decision that the matter between you is resolved,” she stated, noticing Dennee nod once in agreement. “I can see you saw the error of your ways and will be a lot more careful from here onward. But heed my words, one misstep can cost you dearly,” Kahlan warned.

With a dismissing gesture of her hand, she sent the three wizards away, but motioned for Dennee to stay behind. The Mother Confessor duty was done, she needed to talk to her sister now.

“I’m sorry, Kahlan,” Dennee said as soon as the door closed and they were alone once again. “You know I could never hurt you on purpose, but I did nonetheless and I feel terrible,” she said, tears running from her eyes.

“I know, little sister,” Kahlan nodded, wiping the tears from Dennee’s eyes and embracing the woman that clung to her has if her life depended on her, and for a second there, it did. “We will get through this and eventually I’ll be able to forgive you, it’s just going to take a while,” she sniffed, the hurt she felt present despite the love she felt for her sister.

“I’ll make sure to make you proud of me once again,” Dennee said as she stepped away. “I’ll not fail you again,” she vowed.

Kahlan smiled softly, sending a prayer to the Creator that this would be true, because if her sister attempted against Cara’s life again, she would not be so merciful. 

********************

“Hmm, Cara,” Richard addressed the Mord’Sith as they sat around the table eating. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked, already getting up from his seat and smiling softly at Cara’s apprehensive expression.

“Of course, Lord Rahl,” Cara said prudently, a curt nod before she got up too and followed Richard to a corner of the room.

“Listen,” Richard started awkwardly, reaching with his hand to scratch behind his head. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m happy for you,” he said with a sincere smile.

“Okay,” Cara drawled. “Anything else?” she questioned, suspecting by Richard’s restless shifting that he had more to say.

“I mean,” Richard started again. “For you and Kahlan, I’m happy for both of you,” he clarified needlessly.

“I know perfectly well what you mean,” Cara said, not entirely comfortable with having this kinds of talks. “I guess… I’m glad there’s no hard feelings between us,” she forced herself to say, not used to talk about such personal things with the Seeker. “I wouldn’t want to provoke the Lord Rahl,” she said with a smirk, a clear attempt at lightning the awkward tension around them.

“Friend,” Richard said more confidently as he extended his hand to Cara and smiled once the Mord’Sith clasped his forearm. “To you, first and foremost, I’m a friend,” he said, squeezing Cara’s forearm meaningfully, using the gesture to communicate with the blonde in a language she was more versed in.

“What are you two up to?” Kahlan questioned with a smile as she approached the two of them, paying closer attention to Cara.

“Nothing,” Cara was quick to reply, letting go of the Seeker’s forearm and turning to Kahlan. “Richard was just…talking,” she shrugged, an attempt to not prolong this conversation but knowing she was not fooling her lover.

“I was telling Cara how I felt,” Richard answered the Confessor, shaking his head fondly at the Mord’Sith.

“You people sure love to go on and on about feelings,” Cara huffed while she put her hands on her hips.

“How do you put up with Kahlan then?” Richard asked teasingly, laughing at the slap in his arm he earned from a mock indignant Kahlan.

“Kahlan is an exception,” Cara pointed out. “The _only_ one,” she stated, her eyes widening slightly as she tried to make her point across. 

“I can see that,” Richard nodded, sobering a little. “I guess I could see that for a while, but I just didn’t want to believe it,” he admitted, looking sadly at Kahlan. “Bu there’s no denying it and, like I said to Cara just now, I’m your friend and I’m truly happy for the two of you,” he said meaningfully, his smile widening when Kahlan hugged him.

“You will always be special to me Richard,” Kahlan smiled as she cupped the Seeker’s stubbed cheek lightly. “You’re more than a friend, you’re family to me,” she said with watery eyes that mirrored Richard’s.

“Are you done?” Cara asked exasperatedly, sighing when the other two just smiled at her expected impatience. “Aren’t you hungry?” she asked Kahlan.

“Yes, actually I am very hungry,” she smiled and kissed Cara’s cheek, grinning when a slight blush colored the blonde’s face and took her lover’s hand to guide her to the table.

“Cara,” Richard called and saw the blonde turn around, her eyebrows raised in question. “Love looks good on you,” he grinned, sure that the statement would embarrass the Mord’Sith.

“Shut up,” Cara admonished with a roll of her eyes, but as she turned her back to Richard and looked at Kahlan, she couldn’t contain the little smile that forced itself on her lips.

*********************

“How was your talk with Dennee?” Zedd asked after the trio returned to the table, bringing everyone’s attention to Kahlan.

“Exhausting,” Kahlan sighed, her eyes immediately searching Cara’s for support. “She, along with the council, had no right to do what they did,” she said. “But since there’s no justice without mercy, considering past events and the fact that she’s a Confessor, Dennee will continue to stay here in Aydindril,” she revealed, looking at Cara and smiling when the blonde nodded her agreement.

“What about the council?” Zedd asked.

“I banned all three of them from Aydindril,” she replied with a sterner voice. “They gave ill advise and I could never trust them again after what they have conspired to do.”

“And Dennee?” Richard ventured, noticing Cara glaring at him from the corner of his eye. “Will you be able to trust her again?” he asked, looking questionably at Cara, who just sighed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m sure I will,” Kahlan confirmed. “I’ll just need a little time,” she pursed her lips and focused back on her plate.

“Mother Confessor, if I may disturb you,” one guard entered the room, something clutched in his hand.

“Of course,” Kahlan motioned for him to come closer. “What is it?”

“This was delivered at the gates,” he said, opening his palm to show a ring. “The instructions were for it to be delivered immediately and only to you,” he added, presenting Kahlan with a scroll that accompanied the ring.

The Mother Confessor took the ring with a thankful and dismissing nod to the guard. She looked at the piece of jewelry closer, noticing runes carved around it. She passed the ring to Zedd, trusting the wizard would have some insight and opened the scroll to read aloud.

“’ _Dear Mother Confessor’_ ,” Kahlan started with a frown. “’ _Fulfilling my promise of being in touch, here’s a gift for you’_ ,” she finished, turning the scroll around, but the message was the only thing written on it. “It’s not signed, but we can guess who it is from,” she sighed worriedly.

“What is that?” Richard eyed the ring as he approached his grandfather.

“It’s messenger ring,” Sarah said with just one glance at the item, not noticing the surprised looks the others were giving her.

“What exactly is a messenger ring? And how do you know it?” Cara quirked one eyebrow.

“It allows you to communicate with someone, no matter where the other person is,” Sarah clarified. “We use them back at home.”

“How is it activated?” Zedd wondered almost to himself, turning the ring around and analyzing every rune.

“You put it on…” Sarah said slowly, a teasing smirk lifting the corners of her mouth.

“Yes, quite, of course,” Zedd cleared his throat awkwardly, shooting the teen a warning look that was more playful than reprimanding.

“Then let’s see who is on the other end,” Kahlan extended her open palm to Zedd, silently requesting for the item back.

“Wait,” Cara interrupted, snatching the ring from the wizard’s hand. “Just like that? Shouldn’t we maybe be more careful?” she frowned, looking around for backing.

“The only thing it provides is sight and sound,” Sarah assured. “No one will materialize in here, it’s like talking to a ghost, you see and hear, but you can’t touch,” she explained, seeing Cara relax a little and give the ring to Kahlan, albeit not totally happy about it.

“Let’s see if our suspicions are confirmed,” Kahlan sighed and slid the ring on her finger, an image immediately appeared before them, a man they loathed but, nevertheless, wanted to see. “Farkas,” Kahlan spit the name with disgust.

“Oh, hello Mother Confessor,” Farkas said cheerfully. “I’m so glad you could join me,” he said with a fake smile.

All of them gathered behind Kahlan, watching as Farkas appeared before their eyes, a large field of grass and some trees behind him, but not much else could be seen that would help identify where he was.

“Where’s my sister?” Sarah wasted no time in demanding to know where Alys was.

“I have no interest in talking to you,” the wizard sneered. “It’s the Mother Confessor’s answer I want,” he said, walking along the green field.

“The only way I will talk to you for one second more, is if you show me Alys right now,” Kahlan said firmly.

“I was expecting that demand, of course,” he stroked his chin. “That’s were I’m going right now, to visit the little freak, who I left in great company, women that I’m sure made her feel safe and secure,” he said provokingly.

“If they touched even one hair of hers,” Cara pierced the wizard with a menacing look. “You will regret it,” she bared her teeth in a dangerous promise. 

“I can’t speak for my associates,” Farkas shrugged unconcernedly. “I’m sure you know how Mord’Sith are, sometimes they can’t help but to inflict a little pain to pass the time,” he smirked, enjoying Cara’s concerned look.

“Enough talking!” Kahlan interrupted the wizard’s taunting. “Show me my daughter,” she demanded.

“Don’t you fret, Mother Confessor,” Farkas said, moving his hand like he was opening a door. “She’s right her-“

Kahlan stopped breathing when she saw the shocked look on the wizard’s face, her mind conjuring the worst scenario possible. Instinctively, she reached for Cara, grabbing her lover’s forearm in a silent need for support. She watched as Farkas got inside of what looked like a cabin and looked cautiously around. As the wizard moved, all they could see was what was directly behind him, so when he turned back to the door, Kahlan allowed herself a breath of relief when she spotted two Mord’Sith lying motionless on the floor.

“I’ll be damned,” Sarah chuckled, an impressed look replacing the worry she was feeling. “The little thing escaped,” she grinned at Cara, who was still cautiously observing every detail that was visible to them.

“Where is Alys?” Cara demanded, not letting herself hope until she had proof that Sarah’s assessment was true.

“Looks like I won’t be able to show her to you, after all,” Farkas said with barely kept anger, as he bent down to pick up an open Rada’Han that was lying useless next to what was sure to be a dead Mord’Sith. “Apparently she went for a walk,” Farkas got up, Rada’Han in hand, and went outside the cabin, looking frantically around.

“She’s not there,” Cara smirked triumphantly, finally convinced that the girl had indeed manage to flee from the cabin.

Kahlan squeezed her lover’s forearm and concentrated on every single detail she could find on the frame of image the ring allowed. She noticed the cabin behind the wizard, but more than that, she could see the tall tower that could be seen in the distance, raising above the tree line. That sight was unmistakable to her, it was one of the watch towers from Aydindril, they had to be close.

“No, she’s not here,” Farkas furrowed his brow. “But make no mistake, I will find her, and when I do, I’ll teach her how to behave,” he snarled before ripping the ring from his finger and breaking the connection with the Mother Confessor.

“They’re close,” Kahlan grinned with hope as she took the ring off. “That tower we could see in the distance, it’s one of Aydindril’s watch towers.”

“The west one,” Sarah said with conviction. “It’s where those woods are,” she turned to Kahlan for confirmation.

“You’re absolutely right,” Kahlan smiled, circling the teen’s shoulders and pulling the brunette into a hug. “Let’s go, we need to find Alys before Farkas,” she looked around to see her companions already moving towards the door.

*********************

They all left Aydindril mounted on horses, speed being of utmost importance in this mission. They rode for a few leagues west, looking for a familiar cabin, but up until now they hadn’t found it.

“We need o find the cabin so I can pick Alys’s tracks,” Richard said, riding ahead of the others and using his knowledge of the woods to guide them towards their goal.

“No, what you need is to follow me,” Sarah pulled her horse next to the Seeker’s, looking expectantly at him.

“Sarah, I’m a great tracker, I’m sure I can-“

“I’m sure you can too,” the teen interrupted. “But have you ever been to Aydindril’s woods? Do you know my sister better than me?” she questioned efficiently, straightening herself on the saddle as if to demand his full attention.

Richard stared at the suddenly more regal girl for a second and then turned to look at his companions. Zedd was struggling not to laugh, Kahlan was looking at Sarah with a mixture of fondness and pride and Cara…she just wore an almost identical expression to Sarah’s, eyebrows raised and an impatient pout.

“No, I don’t, but-“ Richard chuckled when Sarah quickly interrupted him again.

“Then trust me, she has to be in that cave,” Sarah pointed forward, to a small cave that could be seen ahead, half hidden amongst the tree line. “We took shelter from the rain there once and ever since then it became a secret spot of ours,” she recalled with a fond smile, spurring the horse in that direction.

“Are you supposed to wander this far away from the city?” Kahlan asked Sarah with a knowing smile, looking back at the distance they had covered already.

“We’re wasting time with chit chat, we should pick up our pace,” Sarah insisted, not turning to look at Kahlan and kicking her horse to make it go faster.

“So that’s how you lie to a Confessor?” Kahlan challenged, knowing perfectly well that the teen was just diverting the attention away from the fact that she should not be wandering this far away from Aydindril unaccompanied.

“Yes,” Sarah said simply, turning to look at her mother. “You should take some notes,” she couldn’t help herself from uttering the insinuatingly teasing remark, chuckling when the Mother Confessor looked away with pursed lips.

“You deserved that one,” Cara said with a smirk, not fazed by the glare Kahlan shot her way.

“What is she talking about?” Richard asked good naturedly, noticing the embarrassed reaction Kahlan had to the teen’s words.

“Nothing really, Kahlan just momentarily forgot she’s not the only one around who can read people,” Cara told the Seeker with a dismissive shrug, trying to avoid further discussion for Kahlan’s sake.

“You lied to Sarah?” he asked with chuckle, trading an amused look with Zedd. “What about?”

“ _Absolutely_ nothing important,” Sarah hurried to reply. “Now, _again_ , less chit chat and more looking around for my sister,” she effectively ended the discussion, much to Kahlan’s relieve.

The group was now closer to the cave Sarah had pointed out and their trained eyes looked around for any sign of trouble. They slowed their horses to a stop and Richard was the first one to dismount.

“We should leave the horses here and check the cave,” he said carefully, hitching the animal in a low branch. “Be careful, we never know who we can find,” he warned, looking around the area for tracks that could indicate someone’s presence.

The others followed the Seeker’s lead and dismounted, securing the horses close to each other. Richard approached the entrance to the cave and drew his sword warily, he didn’t want any surprises. He squinted to look inside the cave, but he couldn’t discern anything beyond the entrance. Looking back to see Kahlan and Cara behind him, he gave them a nod before he braved into the dark, his sword preceding him. As soon as he took a couple of steps inside, he felt a horrible pain in his wrist, that made him drop his sword and fall to his knees.

“Richard?” Kahlan raised her daggers, ready to slice whoever attached the man, but stopped in her tracks when she saw a flash of blonde hair come out of the darkness of the cave.

“Uncle Richard!” Alys shouted, dropping the agiel she was holding and leaping to hug the Seeker’s neck. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was you,” she smiled apologetically at the panting man.

“It’s okay, no harm done,” Richard reassured the little girl and hugged her back, retrieving his sword and looking with surprise at the two agiels he could see lying on the floor.

“Mommy!” Alys grinned and ran to her mother’s waiting arms, burying her face in the Mother Confessor’s neck.

“Oh, sweet girl, we got you,” Kahlan hugged the blonde to her tightly, lifting her into her arms and walking further away from the cave. “Are you okay?” she put the girl down, holding her at arm’s length to check for possible injuries.

“I’m fine,” Alys said with a roll of her eyes. “Hey sis, calmer now?” she asked cheekily when she noticed Sarah approaching them quickly.

“Watch it, you don’t want to make me mad now, do you?” Sarah said as she kneeled next to Kahlan and hugged the girl to her.

“Wow, you went into the Con Dar because of me?” Alys said in awe. “Just goes to show you love me to bits!” she teased.

“Just goes to show you can get me really angry, you mean,” Sarah corrected with a raised eyebrow, trying to contain her smile.

“You both can discuss that inside the safety of the Confessor’s Palace,” Cara warned; this time when Alys approached her the girl didn’t need to trick her into kneeling and letting the girl kiss her cheek, this time Cara was the one who pulled the girl to her and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek, making Alys giggle happily.

“I agree, we should get back to the city,” Richard reminded them, looking fondly at them and still rubbing his wrist.

“What did she do to you?” Cara asked Richard as she got back up, but left her arms around Alys, the girl clinging to her.

“She struck me with an agiel!” Richard laughed. “They’re lying in there, I’m definitely not picking them up,” he motioned to the cave.

“I’ll get them,” Alys said, darting for the cave.

“She managed to surprise you?” Zedd asked Richard with an impressed look, chuckling when Richard just shrugged good-naturedly.

“Don’t overdo it, little thing,” Sarah called after her sister. “She can handle them fine, but not for too long or her hands start to hurt,” she explained to the adults.

“Overdo it?” Alys countered, coming out of the cave with one agiel in each hand. “Wait till I tell you what I did with these!” she said proudly, twirling the wailing rods around as she walked back to the others. “You’ll never belie-“ she trailed off with a scream, feeling something stab her shoulder blade and throw her to the ground with the force of its impact.

Kahlan gasped when she saw her daughter fall to the ground, a dacra firmly stuck in the little girl’s flesh. Looking to where the projectile had come from, she saw several red robs fluttering in the wind as a group of Sisters of the Dark run towards them.

“That girl is coming with us,” sister Mariana shouted, raising her arm and throwing her dacra with impressive speed at Kahlan.

Kahlan inhaled sharply as she watched the flying weapon come at her. The Confessor started to reach for her dagger in an attempt to defend herself, but a red gloved hand was faster than her.

“Come and get her then,” Cara challenged when she caught the dacra midair with her subtractive magic. “If you dare,” she smirked menacingly, throwing the blade back into the group of attacking women, striking one in the neck, effectively killing her.

“I think I’m starting to dislike this place,” Alys said through gritted teeth as she reached behind her to pull the dacra off.

“No!” Zedd shouted in warning, coming to stand next to Kahlan. “Don’t pull it off, child,” he shook his head warningly at Alts. “Only a Sister of the Dark can pull it out safely, if you pull it out yourself the magic of the dacra will kill you,” he explained.

“Of course it will,” Alys drawled and sighed, letting her head thump on the ground.

“Alys, get behind us,” Kahlan pulled the girl carefully to her feet and trying to get her away from the battle that was surely to take place.

“Farkas must have contacted Darken Rahl, he must have sent them to get Alys back,” Richard supposed, helping Kahlan lift the girl back to her feet and diverting a dacra with his sword.

“I can help,” Alys protested, turning to face them and refusing to be pushed back.

“Not with them, Alys,” Richard looked back at the girl, shaking his head. “It’s too dangerous,” he added but flinched when Alys raised her hand instinctively in front of his face, successfully stopping a dacra from striking him in the head.

“You were saying?” Alys asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You sound more and more like Cara every day,” Richard chuckled and winked at the blonde girl before raising to his feet and running towards Zedd’s side, who was already fighting their enemies with flames.

Kahlan couldn’t help the smile that reached her lips at the Seeker’s comment, he was really more comfortable with this whole situation. She looked back at Alys and shot the girl a stern look that left no room for discussion, Alys was to stay back and take cover. She smiled to herself when the blonde girl just whispered a defeated _‘okay’_ and scurried to safety, reminding her of the way Cara sometimes acquiesced to her when Kahlan reproached her for some reason; it looked like she had a way with stubborn blondes. She grabbed her daggers more firmly and met her first opponent.

Behind Kahlan, Sarah reached for the agiels at her back and brought them together to form the familiar staff, but as she started to run towards the Sisters of the Dark, a hand on her shoulder stopped her firmly.

“Let me go!” Sarah protested, trying to side step Cara. “I can fight,” she said again, when her mother blocked her path once more.

“What you can do is _go around_ ,” Cara stressed, looking pointedly towards the trees that circled the cave. “Use your _persuasion_ on one of them,” she hinted, glancing at a squirming Alys and smirking when Sarah nodded in understanding.

With one last warning look at Alys for the girl to stay put, Cara ran to the front line, more precisely in front of Kahlan. She looked around to see everyone engaged with one or more Sisters of the Dark and wasted no time in shoving her agiel on the side of one of their attackers.

“Where is Sarah?” Kahlan asked Cara in between strikes.

“Putting her talents to good use,” Cara said mysteriously, but winked at her lover to put her at ease.

Just after Cara’s reply, Kahlan could spot a shadow come out of the tree line in front of them and dart towards the closest Sister of the Dark. She smiled when she noticed it was Sarah and what the girl was trying to do.

Sarah approached the Sister of the Dark from behind and struck her in her lower back with her staff. The woman doubled over in pain and tried to turn around to cut her attacker with the dacra. Sarah saw it coming and sidestepped easily, before hitting the Sister’s arm with the staff, leaving it pressed to the skin for good measure. While she had the woman pined down and screaming in pain, Sarah reached out and closed her hand around the Sister’s neck, letting her power flow through her, confessing the woman.

“Go get that dacra out of Alys’s back,” Sarah ordered the compliant woman and joined the others in finishing off the Sisters of the Dark.

Once the Sister’s of the Dark were all dispatched, the group approached Alys again, who was looking quite pale as the confessed sister pulled the dacra out of her back.

“Zedd!” Cara shouted towards the wizard, who she thought was still burning the dead bodies but was really already behind her and startled with the Mord’Sith’s shout.

“Always so impatient,” Zedd complained, touching his ear with a grimace. “I know what I have to do, I don’t need you directing me,” he scoffed, kneeling besides Alys to heal the cut on her shoulder blade.

“Sometimes I wonder,” Cara mumbled, not low enough for it not to be meant to be heard.

“Please take a look at her neck next, Zedd,” Kahlan said concernedly, moving away Alys’s hair to check the red rash that was probably a consequence of using the Rada’Han. “Does it hurt?” she asked the small blonde, wincing in sympathy when the girl nodded.

“Rada’Han’s are the worst things ever!” Alys huffed. “Don’t you agree?” she asked Kahlan.

“Well…yes,” Kahlan replied awkwardly, her mind betraying her with images of the use she and Cara had given to the Rada’Han, multiple times.

“You like them?!” Alys gasped, having no difficulty in seeing through her mother’s half-truth and frowning confusedly when Kahlan just pursed her lips and blushed.

“Please stop asking our mother about Rada’Han’s,” Sarah tersely said, glaring at her sister.

“Why?” the blonde girl asked, meeting her older sister’s glare without backing down. “What bug bit you?” she continued, noticing how annoyed Sarah looked.

“Imagine we had to bind Farkas’s powers,” Cara addressed Alys, attracting everyone’s attention to her. “Wouldn’t a Rada’Han be a good thing then?” she asked the little girl.

“Oh, I see,” Alys nodded pensively, feeling the warmth of Zedd’s healing magic totally closing the wound at her back. “I guess it does have its uses,” she agreed. “That’s what you meant, right?” she turned back to Kahlan for confirmation, letting the wizard heal her neck next.

“Yes,” Cara said quickly, before Kahlan could open her mouth. “That’s exactly what she meant,” she nodded her head, smiling as Kahlan let out the breath she was holding and mouthed a thank you to her.

“Great,” Sarah said a little too loudly. “Now that that’s settled, lets get out of here. Are you done Zedd?”

“Spirits, do you have dirt under your leathers or something?” Alys eye Sarah up and down. “I didn’t know you hated Rada’Hans this much,” she continued.

“Stop talking about Rada’Hans!” Sarah shouted at her sister, punctuating each word.

“I can talk about whatever I want,” Alys argued, approaching her sister defiantly, now that Zedd had finished. “You’re not the boss of me,” she quipped.

“Shut up or I’ll stick that dacra back in you,” Sarah threatened, glaring at the blonde.

“Mom!” Alys shouted. “Sarah is threatening me!” she pouted as she looked at Cara for help.

“Be nice to her, Alys,” Cara admonished, not being fooled by her daughter. “She was really worried about you, you know?”

“Oh, really?” Alys grinned and hugged her sister’s waist a little too tightly. “I love you too, sis,” she squeezed again, giggling at Sarah’s groans and halfhearted attempts to push her away.

“Please don’t say stuff like that to her,” Sarah begged Cara. “It gets to her head really fast,” she rolled her eyes.

“I’m entitled to praise today,” Alys said, letting go of her sister to look at her challengingly. “You do realize I killed two Mord’Sith on my own, right?” she said proudly.

“That’s all?” Sarah looked down at her with an unimpressed look and shrugged. “I gave the Breath of Life,” she sniffed disinterestedly and looked distractedly around.

“What?!” Alys gasped, her eyes going impossibly wide as she looked up at her sister. “To whom? What happened? When?” she fired questions rapidly.

“I’ll tell you all about it on the way home,” Sarah promised with a smile, preparing herself for what would be a difficult tail.

“Am I to accompany you, Mistress?” the confessed Sister of the Dark questioned Sarah with adoring and hopeful eyes.

Sarah did a double take when she noticed the confessed woman was talking to her. She had completely forgotten about the woman and didn’t know what to do about her.

“No, hmm,” Sarah eventually said uncertainly. “You should, hmm,” she turned her panicked eyes to Kahlan for guidance, but her mother just stood there calmly, looking at her expectantly, without taking any initiative to resolve this problem.

“Just tell her to join the Sister of the Light or something,” Cara suggested but frowned at Kahlan’s weirdly passive stance. “Or tell her to-“

“Cara, no,” Kahlan gently interrupted her. “Sarah will tell her what to do herself,” the brunette said, looking at Cara to convey what she was trying to do and nodding curtly when she noticed Cara’s expression reflect her understanding of her intentions.

“But I just confessed her so she could take the dacra out of Alys’s back,” Sarah justified, not sure what her mother meant for her to do.

“Confession is not a fleeting thing, that can be used while it’s useful and then be terminated when we don’t have use for it anymore,” Kahlan started gently, but her solemn tone convened the seriousness of what she was explaining. “That woman will be confessed to you for as long as you live, it’s your sole responsibility to decide what happens with her now,” she finished, holding her daughter’s eyes as the teen took this in.

Sarah swallowed and nodded at Kahlan in understanding. She got the message from her mother loud and clear; it was just that this was the first time she had been confronted with the aftermath of confession. She had confessed people before, but those had been a couple of criminals that had been sentenced by the Mother Confessor and dealt with by her mother after it was done; mainly so they could be sure she had the power of Confession. Then here, she confessed people in the Con Dar, but still she didn’t have to deal with what happened to those people. But now, here was this woman, that had come here to kidnap her sister and kill them, asking her for guidance and pleading for her affection. It was indeed an entirely different predicament. 

“I want you to arm no one,” Sarah started, looking into the confessed woman’s eyes. “But if your life is at risk, you will defend yourself by any means necessary,” she warned as the woman nodded eagerly, happy to do whatever her Mistress ordered her to. “Do you want to be a better person?” Sarah questioned.

“Yes, Mistress,” the woman readily replied. “I regret all the harm I caused, I wish nothing more than to redeem myself and help others now, if that’s what my Mistress wants of me.”

“You will serve no one or join any religious order,” Sarah said calmly. “You will strive to be someone better and make good choices every day,” she paused for a moment, her eyes watering with some hidden emotion. “Because it’s the choices that you make, that make you who you are.”

The confessed woman nodded happily and without looking at anyone else, she turned away from them and left.

“You did really well, sweetie,” Kahlan said with an approving smile, hugging the teen and kissing her temple tenderly, knowing her daughter understood the responsibility of her power.

“That was a nice and truthful thing you told her about choices,” Cara admired. “Where did you learn that?” she curiously asked, suspecting Kahlan was the responsible for such wisdom.

“From you,” Sarah said, turning to meet Cara’s surprised eyes. “You said that to me once and it made a lot of sense to me,” her eyes glazed as she thought about a moment in the past. “It stuck with me, I never forgot it.”

“It’s a good philosophy to live by,” Zedd commented with a kind smile, for once not using the opportunity to make any teasing jab at the blonde Mord’Sith.

“Looks like you’ll be growing wise in your old age, Cara,” Richard teased, earning himself a glare from the Mord’Sith. “Let’s go back to the city, it will be dark soon,” he said, looking up at the sky and already moving towards his horse, Zedd close behind him.

“You’re already wise now,” Kahlan whispered in Cara’s ear before facing the pensive blonde. “I can only imagine how much you will grow still,” she said in awe and kissed the blonde’s cheek. 

Kahlan turned to face the girls and smiled fondly at the way Alys was already pestering Sarah for the teen to tell her all about what had happened before they found her. She looked at Cara again and chuckle when she saw the blonde shaking her head at their daughter’s antics. The brunette squeezed Cara’s hand and they both moved to follow the others back to Aydindril.

********************

After arriving at Aydindril, all of them were definitely needing some rest. It had been a long and stressful day, but they had finally got Alys back and Cara was safe and sound. After some minor arrangements, everyone departed to their respective bedrooms for the night.

Cara entered her and Kahlan’s bedroom and stretched slightly, in a hopefully discrete way. She didn’t want to admit it, but after the day she had, her muscles were accusing all the tension they had been through. Cara heard Kahlan entering close behind her and smirked when the sound of the door being locked was distinctly heard.

“Somebody is having ideas,” Cara said insinuatingly, not turning around to face Kahlan and taking her agiels out to go put them on the table.

The blonde paused when Kahlan didn’t respond and just walked calmly towards her, pressing her body flush against Cara’s back and letting one hand slide down the blonde’s arm. The Mord’Sith turned her palm up, in anticipation of Kahlan’s touch, but the brunette ignored her in favor of reaching for the Rada’Han that was still carelessly tossed on the table.

Kahlan had to bit back a grin at Cara’s curious look as the blonde’s eyes followed her every movement while she walked towards the bed, hips swaying provocatively. Turning to meet Cara’s intense look, Kahlan put the Rada’Han on the nightstand slowly and paused to admire Cara’s body, the blonde’s canted hip never failing to make the her feel a pleasant type of vertigo.

Cara crossed her arms and smirked when Kahlan’s eyes immediately were attracted to her cleavage. She loved that Kahlan wasn’t shy when it came to enjoying the sight of her body, like she once had been. The Mord’Sith watched in a trance as the brunette approached her again with slow, but sure, steps and pulled the blonde’s arms to circle her own waist while she grabbed Cara’s neck and pulled the blonde into a deep searing kiss. Cara sighed contently when Kahlan licked her lips once before letting her tongue explore her mouth.

“Someone is very tense,” Kahlan breathed against the blonde’s lips, squeezing Cara’s tight neck muscles for good measure. “I know how to help you with that, if you’re interested,” she whispered seductively, kissing Cara’s lips unhurriedly. 

“What do you have in mind?” Cara whispered back, pressing her fingers on Kahlan’s lower back and smiling when the brunette moaned softly.

Kahlan kissed her lips one more time before pulling slightly away to look deep into Cara’s eyes. She cupped Cara’s chin and let her lips trail along the blonde’s cheek gently until she reached her ear to whisper. “A bath,” she nipped Cara’s earlobe playfully and left her lover’s arms with a smirk.

Cara was not as amused; she raised one eyebrow at Kahlan and placed her hands on her hips when the brunette just shrugged and walked away from her, towards another door in the room. Cara tilted her head, observing the Confessor pause at the doorway and hook one inviting finger at her, disappearing inside without waiting for the Mord’Sith. Cara sighed and chuckled, but could do nothing but follow her lover inside.

The warm mist that floated around the room, risen from the hot water filling the large bathtub carved in white marble on the floor, had an immediate relaxing effect on Cara’s body. That coupled with the sweet fragrances she could smell from the oils mixed with the water, made the Mord’Sith unconsciously relax.

“I asked for the bath to be drawn before we came back to the bedroom,” Kahlan said in a low voice, not waiting to break the atmosphere of the room. “I though we both need it,” she smiled, unlacing her white dress and taking it off.

“You thought well,” Cara replied in a similar tone of voice, taking the dress from Kahlan and hanging it on a nearby hook.

Kahlan took advantage of Cara’s back being to her and started to unlace the intricate knots on the blonde’s leather, a ritual she already knew by heart. After both had discarded the rest of their clothes and put them away, Kahlan took Cara’s hand and entered the bathtub, that looked more like a small pool. Once inside, the water reached the top of their thighs and Kahlan sighed when Cara tugged on her hand to pull her into a kiss. Their lips touched and separated in sweet caresses, both knowing that they were in no rush to go anywhere or do anything for once; all they had to focus on was each other. 

“This is nice,” Cara said breaking the kiss to look at Kahlan.

“I think it might be my favorite place in the entire palace,” Kahlan admitted, looking around the dimly lit room.

“I guess the room is nice too,” Cara said, making a show of looking around, pleased when Kahlan chuckled.

“Aren’t you so smooth?” the brunette rolled her eyes good naturedly and lowered herself on the water, dipping her head back to wet her hair. She sat down and rested her back against the marble wall with a sigh, opening her legs and arms in a silent invitation.

Cara took a moment to take in the image before her eyes. The way the water run down Kahlan’s dark hair and shoulders hypnotized the Mord’Sith. She had seen a lot of women in baths similar to this one, but none took her breath away like Kahlan did. The blonde silently kneeled, her eyes never leaving Kahlan’s until the very last moment that she submerged herself in the water. Under water, Cara reached for the brunette’s legs and ran her hand slowly up as she glided towards Kahlan. Reaching the top of the brunette’s thighs, the blonde nipped playfully at Kahlan’s lower stomach and resurfaced, letting her lips and nose trail over Kahlan’s torso on her way up.

“You are very seductive; did I ever tell you that?” Kahlan asked, watching mesmerized as rivulets of water traveled down the Mord’Sith’s hair and upper body.

“I’m aware,” Cara said smugly with a one shoulder shrug, grinning when Kahlan just laughed.

“Turn around and come here,” Kahlan chuckled, pleased to see Cara didn’t even protest and she turned around and settled herself in Kahlan’s arms. “How are you feeling?” she asked softly in the blonde’s ear as Cara rested her head on Kahlan’s shoulder.

“A lot better now,” Cara sighed and closed her eyes, her hands resting on Kahlan’s bent knees and her forearms on the brunette’s firm thighs. “I’m okay,” she said firmly, knowing that Kahlan needed a more direct answer.

“We were thrown in a whirlwind of emotions,” Kahlan started, her fingertips trailing absentmindedly up and down Cara’s arms. “We find out the girls are both our daughters and both have Mord’Sith and Confessor powers, Alys gets kidnapped, Sarah enters the Con Dar, you-“ she choked on the emotion that tightened her throat.

“I’m right here,” Cara assured, bringing Kahlan’s hand to her lips for a soft kiss.

“Were you belong,” Kahlan replied, taking a deep breath and squeezing the blonde in her arms gratefully.

“But I agree, it was not a boring day, at all,” Cara said. “Can you believe the way Alys got away from that cabin? Alone and facing two Mord’Sith?” she said, clearly impressed.

“I’m sure they were not counting on her being able to withstand the agiels, she definitely had the element of surprise on her side,” Kahlan agreed, thinking back to what Alys had told them about the way she managed to flee.

“Not to mention the clever way she pushed their buttons,” Cara smirked. “Really sneaky that kid,” she chuckled, caressing the Confessor’s legs. “I wonder with whom she learned to trick people with words?” she wondered aloud, glancing accusatorily at Kahlan. 

“How dare you?” Kahlan gasped, glaring at the blonde. “Are you insinuating I trick people? I do no such thing!” she argued, pinching the blonde’s arm.

“No so much trick,” Cara conceded. “But your argumentative skills sure can turn any argument around,” Cara explained, turning slightly to better look at Kahlan.

“It is a useful skill to have,” Kahlan pouted slightly, glancing at Cara by the corner of her eye.

“I didn’t say the contrary,” Cara grinned at Kahlan’s almost sulky expression and kissed the pout off the brunette’s lips, very thoroughly.

“Did it ever cross your mind that you would be a mother in the future?” Kahlan asked pensively after the kiss ended, picking up a scented soap and working it on Cara’s hair. “I always assumed I would be, it’s part of my duty after all; but it’s different with Mord’Sith, right?” she asked kindly.

“Once,” Cara said somberly, her eyes turning to look blankly ahead. “Not anymore since then,” she said, knowing Kahlan would know she was talking about the son she had lost. “Definitely not with you,” she raised her brow and chuckled, silently enjoying Kahlan’s ministrations on her hair.

“Well, yes, I guess I can see how that detail wouldn’t cross your mind,” Kahlan grinned, relieved that the blonde didn’t linger on the dark thoughts of the past. “But you’re glad it will happen?” she asked after a silent moment of her just washing Cara’s hair gently, her voice turning a little shy all of a sudden.

“Without a doubt,” Cara turned to look meaningfully into Kahlan’s eyes when she replied. “I guess… I like…” she shrugged meekly and submerged her head to rinse her hair.

“You like what?” Kahlan prodded after Cara came back up, immensely enjoying this almost shy reaction of her lover; she was certain Cara had never been so open and comfortable with anyone else in her life, so she loved to be the only one privy to this side of the beautiful woman.

“I like… to see you in them,” Cara said quietly, a small smile gracing her lips as she faced Kahlan.

“Me? Sarah is like a copy of you,” Kahlan reminded her lover with amazement in her voice.

“Yes, but the way she carries herself, that quiet strength and regal pose,” Cara explained. “That’s all you,” she nodded.

“I know what you mean,” Kahlan smiled, maneuvering Cara so the blonde had her back to her again and picked up a washcloth and another soap to wash the blonde’s back. “I have to admit that from the moment we met Alys, even if I could see her resemblance to me, there was something about her careless attitude and quick sarcastic remarks that were incredibly familiar to me,” she mused. “I guess it never crossed my mind how familiar it actually was,” she laughed.

“Well, that kid is too mischievous for her own good,” Cara drawled. “She got under my skin at first, you know?” she said reluctantly, shaking her head at all the times Alys tried to trick her into being close to her.

“She got under your defenses, you mean,” Kahlan corrected, trying to contain her grin when the blonde turned slowly around to glare at her. “Don’t look at me like that, you would have better luck with scaring Alys with that stare and you don’t even manage that,” she said teasingly, meeting Cara’s look challengingly, but yelped when the blonde pinched her tight.

“I can be pretty scary when I want to be,” Cara said, baring her teeth and sliding menacingly towards Kahlan.

“And I’m pretty sure I’m woman enough for you,” Kahlan countered, advancing herself on Cara and crushing their lips together in a hungry kiss.

Cara grinned into the kiss and pulled the Confessor closer to her, moaning when their slick breasts touched. She tilted her head to gain more access and let her tongue duel with Kahlan’s until the need for air was stronger.

“You are _the_ woman for me,” Cara said with a wink, smiling when Kahlan smiled shyly and her cheeks colored red, the hot steam around them having nothing to do with it. “Come here, it’s your turn now,” the blonde said mercifully. 

Kahlan turned around and let Cara wash her head with the scented soap. She loved these fragrances and the indulgence of the hot water around them. This was something they almost never got when they were on the road, so she let herself enjoy it to the fullest.

“Your hair has become really long,” Cara mentioned absentmindedly. “I like how it curls when it’s wet.”

“I like how you take note of the smallest details,” Kahlan replied, closing her eyes at the glorious massage she was receiving on her scalp. “Are you going to let yours grow back as long as you had it?” Kahlan asked.

“Not for now,” the blonde replied, continuing her task reverently. “I kind of like it this way,” she shrugged.

“I _really_ like it that way too,” Kahlan complimented, smiling at Cara’s whispered _‘I’m glad’_.

They finished washing themselves and took a few more minutes to lounge around in the water, trading soft words and softer caresses. When the water started to cool off, they got out of the bathtub and Kahlan got them both towels to dry their bodies and hair. 

“That was really soothing,” Cara said, discarding her towel and pulling Kahlan’s towel wrapped body to her. “Maybe now we could find something to do that requires a little more exertion,” she smirked suggestively and kissed a trail down Kahlan’s neck and around her cleavage.

“Not soothing enough, it seems,” Kahlan said as she ran her hands up and down Cara’s back, feeling the still uncomfortably hard muscles there. “You’re still tense.”

“I’m always tense,” Cara dismissed, continuing to kiss her lover. “I don’t care.”

“But I do,” Kahlan said and reached for a bottle on one of the shelfs. “And I want to do something I always wanted to do,” she said and showed the bottle to Cara when the blonde lifted her head curiously.

“That being?” Cara asked, trying to figure out what the transparent liquid inside the glass bottle was.

Kahlan didn’t reply and instead took Cara’s hand and dragged the Mord’Sith back to the bedroom. She guided them towards the large bed and stood next to it, motioning for Cara to get on it.

“Lay on your stomach,” Kahlan instructed, placing the bottle on the nightstand.

“Why?” Cara asked, furrowing her brow but liking where this was going.

“Because I’m telling you to,” Kahlan lifted one commanding eyebrow, smirking when Cara just widened her eyes a bit but lay down on the bed, the blonde head resting on the pillow at the top. Kahlan knew her lover was secretly loving her little game.

“Trust me, you’ll enjoy it,” Kahlan promised and climbed on the bed to straddle Cara’s naked bottom, gasping when the blonde reflexively lifted her hips to meet Kahlan.

“I’m enjoying it already,” Cara said, grinding her buttocks on Kahlan’s hot center and folding her arms under the pillow, resting her cheek on top.

“ _Stop_ ,” Kahlan commanded in a stern voice, to which the Mord’Sith immediately obeyed. “You will stay put and let me do whatever I want,” she continued in a softer voice, happy when she heard the small agreeing whimper from Cara.

Kahlan reached for the small bottle and dropped a small portion of the oil on her hand. Rubbing her hands together to warm up the oil, she pressed her hands on Cara’s lower back and slid them up the blonde’s back, using the weight of her body to maintain the pressure on Cara’s strong muscles. Reaching the blonde’s neck, Kahlan moved the blonde hair aside and massaged Cara’s neck and shoulders.

“Okay, that feels amazing,” Cara groaned, her eyes closed in satisfaction as Kahlan’s fingers loosened every knot she could feel and a couple more she couldn’t.

“I knew you would enjoy it,” Kahlan smiled, kneading the tension out of Cara’s back with slow and deliberate touches, pressing her fingers and knuckles where Cara needed the relieving pressure the most.

Cara sighed contently, letting herself indulge in this luxurious treatment. Once she would never allow anyone to see her in suck a surrendered stated, but with Kahlan she could just let go and let the brunette do something Cara never allowed anybody else to do, she let her lover take care of her. The heat Kahlan was creating while she rubbed the oil over Cara’s back, was as relaxing as much as the massage itself. Cara felt the Confessor’s hands leave her back after what seemed like forever and massage her shoulders and her upper arms. She took a deep breath and felt those magic hands move over her sides, caressing the outer side of her breasts, continue over her ribs and then she gasped when Kahlan’s right hand slid under her hip and cupped her mound.

“Kahlan,” Cara moaned her lovers name, bending her right knee to the side to give Kahlan more room and lifting her bottom slightly.

Cara pulled her arms from under the pillow and tried to raise herself on her elbows, but groaned when she felt the warm hand leave her center and Kahlan seize her arms, pushing them back under the pillow and forcing her down with the weight of her body.

“I told you not to move, or didn’t I?” Kahlan demanded, pressing her towel covered front to Cara’s back and squeezing the blonde’s wrists under the pillow.

“You did,” Cara bit down on her lower lip. “I’m sorry,” she said breathless.

“Now, keep your leg bent like that but don’t try to get up or move your arms,” Kahlan instructed, her hand already traveling lower.

Cara felt the Confessor sit back up, her long damp hair tickling her back, and place her left hand on her lower back. Kahlan’s right hand went back under the blonde and stroked slowly over Cara’s clit, circling the engorged nub slowly. Cara whimpered and pressed her face against the pillow, her breathing becoming shallower as the brunette’s fingers moved expertly. She gasped when Kahlan moved her fingers lower and rubbed along her lower lips.

“Oh Cara,” Kahlan sighed wantonly. “You’re so wet,” she breathed out, running the other hand up Cara’s spine and clutching at the blonde’s shoulder.

Kahlan stroked slowly over Cara’s wetness, going from flicking her clit to pushing just the tip of her finger in Cara’s entering, only enough to leave the blonde trembling on the bed. Almost without noticing, Kahlan started to rub herself on Cara’s firm bottom, the sounds and shudders she was drawing from her lover driving her into a lust filled haze. Kahlan ripped the towel off her body and lowered herself on Cara’s back, moaning approvingly when the blonde pushed back against her.

“Kahlan,” Cara breathed in an almost pleading voice, not really knowing if she wanted this sweet torture to end or to continue.

Cara moaned at the feel of Kahlan’s heavy breasts pressed fully against her back. The blonde kept her head on the pillow, not really seeing anything, which only seemed to heighten every touch she felt on her skin. She felt the brunette’s left arm slid under her ribcage and cross her chest, one hand cupping her breast and squeezing greedily at the same time one finger entered her easily.

“I need more,” Cara pleaded when the finger entering her barely found any resistance.

“Anything you want,” Kahan whispered hotly in her ear, pushing two fingers inside Cara as she sucked just bellow her lover’s earlobe.

“Oh Kahlan,” Cara moaned and thrust herself into Kahlan’s fingers, her clit rubbing deliciously on the heel of the brunette’s palm. “You’re driving me crazy,” she whimpered as Kahlan hooked her fingers inside and started to massage that sweet spot that made her see light behind her eyelids.

“Oh Cara, you’re so hot like this,” Kahlan breathed next to the blonde’s ear, tweaking the hard nipple between her fingers.

Every time she filled Cara with her fingers, Kahlan thrust her hips forward, so she pushed Cara even more against her hand. They kept a relatively slow tempo until their mutual need grew and their movements became more erratic. Kahlan sped up her fingers, marveling at how open and warm Cara was and panting against the blonde’s ear.

Kahlan’s labored breathing only excited Cara more and she shot one arm behind her to fist Kahlan’s hair at the back of the brunette’s head. The blonde moved her hips frantically against her lover’s very capable fingers, not knowing anymore if Kahlan was fucking her or if she was fucking the brunette’s fingers. Kahlan’s clean shaven mound was rubbing against her bottom, pushing her more and more towards the edge and it was when Kahlan bit possessively on her shoulder that Cara tipped over the edge. Her eyes closed tight and rolled back as her walls clamped around Kahlan’s fingers, spasming without control. She moaned loudly when Kahlan curved her fingers and pushed her more onto the heel of her palm with her thrusting hips, easing Cara through her explosive orgasm and every pleasant aftershock that came after.

Kahlan collapsed on Cara’s back when she felt the blonde stop bucking under her. She withdrew her fingers carefully and moved her hand to gently caress the soft skin over Cara’s hip. Pulling her left arm from under the blonde, she pushed herself up on her elbow and combed through Cara’s damp hair, placing small kisses on the blonde’s back and shoulders.

“Hmm,” Cara managed after a while, barely opening her eyes but smiled when she felt Kahlan chuckle.

“Welcome back,” Kahlan teased, pulling gently on the blonde’s hip to make Cara lay on her back and face her.

“That oil is really good,” Cara said through her post orgasm haze, not really able yet to focus her eyes.

“Oh, so it’s all the oil?” Kahlan laughed. “No credit for me?” she mock complained.

“You deserve some praise too,” Cara grinned and pulled the brunette down to share a languid kiss, leisurely running her hands over Kahlan’s side and back, cupping one round breast to knead it gently. “In fact, you deserve something more than that,” she whispered against her lover’s lips and tried to invert their positions but was stopped by Kahlan.

“Wait,” Kahlan breathlessly said, her arousal that was dormant for the blonde’s moments of recovery was quickly stoked again by Cara’s sensual touches. “I was enjoying myself before,” she said with a smile, straddling Cara’s hips and lowering herself so her sex kissed Cara’s, noticing her lover’s eyes turn darker with desire.

Kahlan started to move her hips slowly, trying to make this moment lats as much as possible because she was already embarrassingly close to release. The sight of Cara completely undone under her had stirred something primal within her.

“You’re beautiful,” Cara breathed as she moved her hands to grab Kahlan’s hips, mesmerized with how the brunette moved so sensually over her.

Kahlan threaded her fingers through her long locks, pushing her hair to her back as she started to feel a heat traveling from her lower belly to spread all over her already heated body. Sprawling her hands on Cara’s taut abdomen, Kahlan rubbed her sex on Cara’s, moaning when the blonde started to move with her, making their clits rub pleasurably together.

Cara moved her hands up Kahlan’s torso and cupped the brunette’s breasts, pinching the hard nipples in between her fingers. She groaned when Kahlan placed her own hands over Cara’s, and squeezed hard, making the blonde do the same to the creamy mounds under her palms. Cara could feel her orgasm building fast all over again, the sight of Kahlan on top of her like this, panting heavily and rolling her hips over and over, was making Cara dizzy with desire.

Kahlan’s movements were getting faster and faster, she locked her eyes with Cara’s and couldn’t help but lower herself to kiss Cara’s lips hotly. She whimpered into the kiss and reached blindly towards the nightstand, clutching the Rada’Han with her hand and clasping it hurriedly on her neck; she was so close. Kahlan moaned as Cara’s hand on her lower back pushed her down against her at the same time the blonde thrust her hips to meet Kahlan. The blonde’s other hand went to the back of her neck, keeping Kahlan against her lips as they kissed passionately.

Kahlan broke the kiss and panted against her lover’s lips as she felt a tightening in her lower belly that alerted her of her impendent release. With a few more thrusts of her hips, Kahlan straightened herself up when her orgasm hit. Cara’s hand slid down the brunette’s neck when Kahlan sat up and she vaguely noticed her fingers getting caught on something but too lost in her own pleasure, she failed to realize what it was.

They both noticed it at the same time, but it was already too late to prevent it. Kahlan’s power was already breaking free with her orgasm, but her pleasure was painfully interrupted when she felt the metal band around her neck fall and Cara’s eyes turn completely black, before the blonde gasped loudly and arched her back of the bed.

“No!” Kahlan screamed in panic, watching in horror as her worst nightmare was happening right before her eyes.

She had confessed Cara.

“Cara!” Kahlan called frantically, shaking the blonde that had closed her eyes unresponsively, after she had fallen back limp on the bed. “Cara, please, open your eyes,” she begged, tears already sliding down her face.

Kahlan grabbed the Rada’Han that lay open on Cara’s stomach and wondered how that was possible. She clutched at her neck and gasped in realization. The Rada’Han’s clasp must have gotten caught on the thickness of her still wet hair and was never safely closed to begin with.

“Cara,” Kahlan tried again, lifting herself off of Cara and lying beside the still blonde, her hand searching that place in Cara’s chest where she could feel life.

Kahlan breathed a small sight of relief when she could feel Cara’s heart beating strongly, albeit a little too fast, which only ended up worrying the brunette even more. But after a moment that fell like an eternity to Kahlan, she saw green eyes open sluggishly and turn to meet her own.

“Cara?” Kahlan’s voice trembled with fear, already dreading the adoring tone that would sound like a knife to her heart. “Please, say something,” she begged, cupping the blonde’s cheek and looking searchingly into her eyes.

“I told you earlier your power felt good,” Cara whispered in awe. “But this was unbelievable!” she said, her eyes widening in shock.

Kahlan just stared dumbfounded at Cara. The first thing she noticed was the lack of the adoring tone and command request. Then it was the lack of pain on the Mord’Sith’s eyes, she just looked something between surprised and extremely pleased.

And still, none of them dared to move.

“I didn’t confess you,” Kahlan finally whispered tentatively, watching as Cara just shook her head to confirm her suspicions. “How did I not confess you?” she wondered, sitting up and bringing Cara with her, still looking at the blonde closely for any signs that she was not okay.

“How would I know?” Cara shrugged, grasping the severity of what had just happened now that she was a little more awake. “Last time I was confessed I died,” she shrugged confused.

“You blacked out,” Kahlan told her, her voice still trembling a bit.

“For how long?” Cara questioned.

“A few seconds,” Kahlan replied. “Which was already too long,” she said, still feeling her heart beat wildly in her chest.

“Then why was I not confessed?” Cara repeated the question that was in a loop in both their minds.

“I have no idea,” Kahlan shrugged helplessly.

“You think a person can only be confessed once?” Cara suggested, the idea sounding ridiculous to her even as it was leaving her mouth.

“That makes no sense,” Kahlan said, confirming Cara’s inkling. “Confessor magic always works,” she said with certainty.

“Apparently not,” Cara said with a tilt of her head.

“Are you saying my power stopped working?” Kahlan asked, the idea only making her panic again.

“No, I definitely felt it,” Cara shook her head rapidly to reassure the brunette. “I meant that _your_ power doesn’t work on _me_ ,” she stressed. 

“You mean I can’t confess you,” Kahlan repeated, mulling the idea in her head. “Specifically, you,” she pointed out, watching the blonde nod.

“Kahlan, come here,” Cara pulled her lover to her, wanting to comfort the shaken brunette. “I’m fine, okay?” she assured, settling herself against the headboard and hugging Kahlan in her arms. “I’m not dead, nor confessed,” she continued, feeling Kahlan snuggle more into her. “I’m myself, with all the free will that belongs to me,” she smiled comfortingly when Kahlan glanced up at her.

“This is just…unexpected,” Kahlan sighed, feeling herself calm down in Cara’s arms.

“There’s an understatement,” Cara said. “It was also the best orgasm I have ever had in my life,” she said offhandedly, chuckling when Kahlan sat up and looked at her is disbelief.

“The best orga-“ Kahlan sighed, biting her lip to stop herself form smiling at Cara’s pleased look. “Well, mine was the worst,” she huffed. Seeing the woman you love dying in your arms as you were falling over the edge was definitely not her idea of sexual gratification.

“I’m sorry,” Cara said softly, grabbing Kahlan’s hand, but was having trouble keeping her mirth at bay.

“You laugh now, but it was not funny a minute ago,” Kahlan protested halfheartedly, letting Cara pull her back into her arms. “I felt horrible, Cara,” she said softly.

“I know, I know,” Cara nodded. “I’m sorry, it’s just you looked so adoringly disgruntled for having such a different experience from me,” she smiled apologetically, earning a forgiving kiss from Kahlan.

“It didn’t cross you mind you were going to die?” Kahlan asked curiously.

“For a second maybe, when I noticed that my fingers got caught in the Rada’Han and the thing just fell open from your neck,” she explained. “But then all I felt was an unbelievable pleasure, like I had never felt before.”

“The best of your life?” Kahlan said dryly, but the corners of her lips were curving up.

“Without any doubt,” Cara confirmed in the same tone. “Your power always felt like a pleasant wave for me, as I told you earlier, but without the Rada’Han, it just overwhelmed me, but in a good way,” she tried to explain. “This is a good thing,” Cara hinted, glancing down at her lover.

“A good thing we don’t understand,” Kahlan reminded the blonde good-naturedly. “But yes, definitely a _very_ good thing,” Kahlan smirked, cupping Cara’s cheek and kissing her lips with a great deal of relief.

Cara kissed Kahlan back and pulled the brunette into her arms, lying back down on the mattress. They were both amazed at this new found discovery, not caring much how it was possible right now, just marveling that they could love each other without any fears from now on.

The blonde broke the kiss long enough to pull the sheets down and crawl under them with Kahlan. Once Cara was settled on her back, Kahlan snuggled close, kissing her lover lazily and sighing at Cara’s soft caresses on her skin. After a few tender moments, Kahlan rested her head on the blonde’s shoulder and hugged her lover tightly.

“Thank the Creator for your clumsiness,” Cara couldn’t help but say, laugh building inside her.

“I’m not clumsy,” Kahlan protested, raising herself on her elbow to glare down at Cara.

“Really?” Cara snorted. “You were the one that put the Rada’Han on, how do you explain that it wasn’t tightly closed?” she challenged.

Kahlan dropped her head back down and hid her face on Cara’s neck, groaning something unintelligible.

“Sorry, what was that?” Cara asked, greatly amused, and Kahlan repeated herself but her voice was still too muffled for Cara to hear. “I still didn’t quiet catch that,” Cara repeated.

“I said, it got caught in my hair,” Kahlan lifted her head and repeated loudly, immediately hearing Cara laugh out loud which in turn made her laugh too at the ridiculousness of the situation. “You know what? Maybe we should just go to sleep,” Kahlan said as their laughter died down.

“Yes, it’s probably the best thing to do,” Cara agreed, already pulling Kahlan back into her embrace. “You did wear me off,” she sighed contently, feeling Kahlan kiss her cheek gently.

They both settled down in the comfort of the bed, trading soft caresses to lull each other to sleep, when suddenly Cara started laughing all over again.

“Oh, shut up,” Kahlan groaned, but started laughing too soon after.


	24. Chapter 24

Kahlan woke from her slumber with a feeling of complete lethargy taking over her body. She felt both completely relaxed and fully energized, but still didn’t want to open her eyes, choosing instead to focus on the warm body so close to hers. After a few moments of laziness, breathing in Cara's scent, Kahlan slowly opened her eyes and squinted against the sun light that was bathing their room.

The Confessor rose on her forearm and tried to ascertain the time, deducing it was still early morning. She then looked down at Cara and smiled happily as she took on the still slumbering blonde next to her. Cara was laying on her back, her right arm bent and tucked under her pillow and her left leg bent at the knee, her legs parted to accommodate Kahlan’s thigh between them. The blonde’s left arm was still securely around Kahlan’s back, where it surely had been all night, keeping the brunette snuggled close to her.

Kahlan let her eyes travel over the blonde’s exposed skin, marveling at its softness. Without really realizing, her fingers started a path that was memorized by now, connecting Cara’s few freckles, going from the one on her neck to the one on her right breast. Soon, her lips followed her fingers and the Kahlan placed soft and tender kisses all over Cara’s chest, intending to wake the surprisingly still asleep blonde.

“Cara,” Kahlan whispered, continuing to kiss her lover. “Cara,” she insisted in a sing song voice, but frowned when the usually light sleeping blonde didn’t even stir. 

Fear gripped Kahlan’s heart when her lover didn’t respond to any of her attempts to wake her up. Normally Cara would wake with just the minimum sound or movement close to her, so for the blonde to still be laying motionless on the bed it could only mean something was deeply wrong. 

“Cara!” Kahlan shouted and shook the Mord’Sith by the shoulder.

“What?!” Cara sat up startled, pulling Kahlan behind her in an instinctive protective gesture as she looked around for the danger that was surely upon them.

“Are you okay?” Kahlan asked, sitting up to face the blonde and searching Cara’s eyes nervously. 

“Are you okay?” Cara retorted, her eyes going impossibly wide once she realized there was no imminent danger and Kahlan had just waken her with a shout for no reason. “Because that’s no way to wake someone! What are you trying to do? Kill me again so soon already?” she said perplexed, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes.

“You weren’t waking up,” Kahlan explained with a relieved sigh. “You normally wake up if a twig snaps five meters away from you, but I was calling your name and you didn’t even react,” Kahlan said looking down at the sheet between them as she tucked her hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture.

“I’m okay,” Cara assured, cupping Kahlan’s chin to bring the brunette’s eyes to meet hers and recognizing Kahlan’s worry for her wellbeing, given the scare she had gotten the night before. “But I was sleeping really soundly, I don’t remember ever having such a good night’s sleep,” she mused. “You must have really worn me out,” Cara smirked and pulled Kahlan into a light and teasing kiss. 

“Sorry, I was just worried there for a bit,” Kahlan admitted sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. “You think my power had something to do with it?” she asked, half hopeful and half fearful. 

“I would say it had something to do with the way you pampered me last night,” Cara said as she pushed Kahlan on her back and started to place soft kisses along the brunette’s neck. “The bath was incredibly soothing,” she continued in a soft voice, kissing and licking her way to Kahlan’s ear. “The massage was both relaxing and arousing,” she whispered in Kahlan’s ear, smiling when her lover shivered under her. “And the way you fucked me after was so hot it gets me wet just from thinking about it,” she whispered hotly and bit on Kahlan’s earlobe, making the brunette moan and arch her body into Cara’s.

With a groan, Kahlan cupped Cara’s face and brought her lover into passionate kiss. The husky sound of the blonde’s voice, so sultry on her ear, woke the desire that seemed to always be under the surface. She kissed Cara hungrily, letting herself get lost in the velvet feeling of their lips and tongues touching and moving heatedly against each other. She gasped when Cara nudged herself in between her legs, the weight of the blonde only heightening the sensation of being completely surrounded by her lover. 

Cara held herself up on one forearm next to Kahlan’s head, tangling her fingers in the brunette’s wavy luscious hair. Her other hand trailed slowly down Kahlan’s side, making the Confessor shudder and press herself up into Cara, seeking some much-needed friction. Smirking into the kiss, Cara deviously lifted herself up just enough to prevent Kahlan’s center from rubbing against hers, but gasped in pleasant surprise when the brunette quickly moved both her hands to Cara’s bottom and forcefully pulled her back down against herself with a satisfied moan. 

“Someone’s eager,” Cara panted slightly, smirking down at the flushed brunette.

“Someone’s teasing,” Kahlan replied with frustration, glaring when Cara’s smirk only grew. 

“Now, where’s your patience?” Cara kept teasing, cupping the brunette’s breast and squeezing very lightly, letting her thumb circle the hardened nub with a ghost touch.

“It flies out the window when all I want is you inside me,” Kahlan replied seductively with a sexy smirk and an inviting raised eyebrow, almost laughing when Cara’s smirk turned into a surprised expression. 

Having the Confessor turning tables on her little teasing game only fueled the Mord’Sith’s desire. After getting over the initial shock at Kahlan’s provocative answer, Cara grinned appreciatively and captured Kahlan’s still smirking lips with her own. She sucked on Kahlan’s lower lip and then trailed open mouthed kisses down the Confessor’s throat. Sliding down Kahlan’s body, she continued to kiss over Kahlan’s warm skin towards the full breasts of the brunette.

Kahlan hissed in pleasure as Cara’s luscious lips closed around her nipple, the blonde sucked and raked her teeth on the hard peek, the vibrations of her moans adding to Kahlan’s pleasure. She tangled her fingers in blonde locks, pulling Cara closer to her at the same time her body arched into the blonde. She could feel Cara’s defined abs flexing against her hot center and she couldn’t help but rub herself on the toned stomach. 

Cara kissed one breast thoroughly and moved her mouth to the other, using her hand to kneed the neglected one. She moaned when Kahlan fisted her hair with slightly more force when she sucked on her nipple, the brunette’s other hand roaming on her back, the blunt nails biting on her skin with Kahlan’s every moan. Cara kept one hand caressing the tender and sensitive mounds and kissed a path down Kahlan’s body until she reached her lover’s center. With one hungry look up at Kahlan, she flattened her tongue over the Confessor’s sex and licked slowly, ending up enclosing the swollen clit in her mouth.

“Spirits, Cara,” Kahlan groaned. “That feels so good,” she said, looking down through heavy eyes to watch her lover eagerly suck her clit. 

Cara circled Kahlan’s thigh with one arm, to make herself more room between the brunette’s legs and dragged her fingertips down Kahlan’s torso, until they stopped at Kahlan’s entrance.

“I love seeing you like this,” Cara breathed, placing an open-mouthed kiss on Kahlan’s inner thigh and sucked until she left a mark. “Trembling and moaning under me,” she said as she very slowly entered Kahlan with two fingers, her eyes fixed on her lover’s. 

Kahlan’s reply died on her lips as her mouth hung partly open in silent pleasure. She whimpered when Cara curled up her fingers and started to press them in every sweet spot inside Kahlan’s walls. The Confessor planted her feet on the bed and moved her hips in time with Cara’s increasingly fast fingers. 

The blonde sped up her thrusts, curling her fingers inside every time, while sucking and flicking Kahlan’s clit with her tongue. She groaned when the brunette tangled her fingers in her hair once more and sought Cara’s hand on her thigh to interlace their fingers together. 

“Cara,” Kahlan called panting, pulling the Mord’Sith’s hand to get her attention. “Come here, I want to look in your eyes,” she said, knowing Cara would understand the nature of her request.

Cara straddled Kahlan’s leg and laid down on top of her lover, her forearm sliding under the brunette’s neck so she could hold herself up and look at the darkening blue eyes. She kept moving her fingers inside Kahlan, while she rubbed the brunette’s clit with her thumb.

“Oh, Kahlan,” Cara moaned when she felt the Confessor’s fingers sneak between them and enter her, mirroring her moves as they moved together towards a fast approaching climax. 

Kahlan cupped the back of Cara’s head and brought the blonde’s mouth to hers, their lips shifting between frantic kisses and shared panting breaths. Kahlan felt the telltale tightening in her lower stomach and looked into Cara’s eyes, noticing that her lover was also close to release. The unbridled look on Cara’s eyes was all it took for Kahlan to let go and let herself be taken over by her orgasm.

Cara felt the brunette tense under her and saw the black swirl in her eyes, but what really tipped her over the edge was the wave of energy that went through her, tensing all her muscles for a quick second and causing her a vertigo sensation in the pit of her stomach. She came with a deep moan, ridding the pleasant wave until her entire body was left trembling and her breathing came in fast gasps. 

“You didn’t black out this time,” Kahlan breathed, shifting her head to see Cara’s half-closed eyes where the blonde rested, her head on the brunette’s shoulder.

“I guess all I need is practice,” Cara smiled and placed a small kiss on Kahlan’s neck, not having the strength to do much else right now. “And okay, your power might have some kind of relaxing effect on me,” Cara admitted with a satisfied grin, enjoying Kahlan’s soft caresses on her back. 

“So it really feels good to you,” Kahlan mused, combing the blonde’s hair with her fingers. “It wasn’t just the Rada’Han tempering it,” she recalled what Cara had told her about her power feeling like a warm wave to her.

“Hmm, I told you so,” Cara said, moving to lay on her side so she could look at Kahlan and took a moment to appraise her lover. “You’re getting bolder in bed,” she stated after a pensive pause.

“Are you complaining?” Kahlan replied with mock indignation, also turning on her side to look at her smiling lover.

“No, it was just an observation,” Cara said lazily with a shrug. 

“I feel safe with you,” Kahlan answered the unasked question about her changing behavior. “Comfortable in my own skin,” she added contemplatively, she too having noticed the shift in herself. “With you I feel free to just let go and try anything I want,” she concluded with a soft smile.

Cara kissed her lover tenderly, conveying into the gentle kiss that Kahlan was indeed safe and free with her. 

“So free that you don’t even need that,” Cara added almost as an afterthought, motioning for the Rada’Han that lay unnecessary in the nightstand. 

“I know,” Kahlan grinned, not being able to keep the giddiness out of her voice. “How amazing is that?” she mused. “But we still don’t know how that’s possible,” she wondered, her happy expression loosing just a tiny bit of light.

“It’s because I already love you so much,” Cara simply justified. 

“It can’t be that simple,” Kahlan argued, but smiled wishfully at the blonde as she curled into her. 

“I can’t see why not,” Cara raised her eyebrows and pulled Kahlan’s leg over hers, caressing the brunette’s thigh gently.

“Because nothing is ever that simple,” Kahlan replied, twirling blonde hair in her fingers. “We should find out what the reason is,” she declared.

“How, exactly?” Cara asked. “If it was something that was common, I’m sure you would have learnt about it in Confessor school,” the blonde said with amusement, chuckling when Kahan just rolled her eyes at her.

“I never heard of anything like this,” Kahlan shook her head. “But there has to be a way to find out or someone we can ask,” she pondered, biting her lip in thought.

“I agree, let’s ask the wizard,” Cara deadpanned. 

“Are you insane?!” Kahlan said with comically widened eyes. “We are certainly not going to Zedd with this,” she frowned, her cheeks reddening just at the thought of it. 

“Then ask Sarah,” Cara shrugged, trying really hard to keep her expression schooled and not letting her amusement at Kahlan’s discomfort show.

“Even worse!” Kahlan slapped the blonde’s shoulder. “No way we’re going to talk to our daughter about our sex life,” she declared with certainty, her stomach churning in embarrassment as she recalled how Sarah had caught them in the middle on an intimate moment.

“Your sister then?” Cara suggested as a last resort and shrugged helplessly when Kahlan just stared at her unamused. “My point exactly,” she said with a grin, letting her mirth finally show. “There’s no one to ask, unless you want to have a very uncomfortable conversation.” 

“Maybe you’re right and it’s as simple as you say,” Kahlan smiled and cupped Cara’s cheek. “You just love me completely already, the love that comes from confession is not greater than yours,” she said wishfully.

“You just have a tendency to overthink and complicate things,” Cara sighed, leaning in to kiss Kahlan gently. “I bet you I’m right,” she grinned widely. 

Kahlan chuckled and shook her head fondly at the blonde, she sure seemed convicted of her assumptions and who knew, maybe she was right. With one last lingering kiss on the deliciously pouty lips, Kahlan reluctantly sat up in bed, dragging the sheet with her. She looked back at Cara and had to take a moment to enjoy the sexy view. Cara lay sprawled on her back, one arm under her head and one leg bent sideways, the sheet only covering her lower body with her bent leg peeking out, leaving the rest of it to be ogled by Kahlan. 

“Come on,” Kahlan said with a sigh. “We need to get up,” she continued, but made no move to get off the bed.

“Well, I think we need another bath after all that exercise,” Cara said suggestively, looking longingly to the bathroom.

“I see that’s becoming your favorite room in the palace too,” Kahlan grinned, brushing some stray hair from Cara’s face.

“I like this one too, where the large bed is,” Cara smirked. “And that look on your face tells me you want a bath too,” she squinted playfully. “Exactly the kind of bath I’m thinking about,” the blonde said suggestively and winked.

“I’ll go tell someone to bring hot water,” Kahlan didn’t even try to deny Cara’s words, she put on her robe and walked towards the door, glancing back once to smile at her lover.

Cara smiled back and roamed her eyes all over Kahlan’s seductive curves, paying special attention to the swaying hips and exquisitely long legs. She sighed contently and decided that she could get used to this. 

********************

After a bath that had very little to do with hygiene and much more to do with making love in a hot steamy room, Cara and Kahlan got ready for the day and after a quick breakfast in the bedroom, they made finding their daughters their priority. 

They were walking down the corridor, intending to check the common room where they had eaten the day before, when they caught the conversation of two guards that were walking towards them.

“Did you see how easily she disarmed Jonatan?” one of them was commenting to the other. “And that staff is a remarkable weapon.”

“I think they can help us find them,” Cara told Kahlan, chuckling at the guard’s obvious excitement about the tale they were sharing.

“Excuse me,” Kahlan addressed the men, both of whom immediately stood at attention. “Can you tell me where the girl you’re talking about is?” 

“She’s at the courtyard sparing with some of the guards, Mother Confessor,” the guard informed her. “Quite the spectacle, especially since she took down some men twice her size,” he grinned. 

“Did you happen to also see a little blonde girl there, too?” Kahlan questioned, knowing Alys could not be far away from her sister.

“Yes, she’s there too,” he said. “Quite the firecracker, she just won’t give up when she goes down,” he said impressed.

“Alys is fighting the men?” Kahlan asked in disbelief, her expression changing from relaxing to concerned.

“No, no, Mother Confessor,” the guard hurriedly explained, noticing the disapproving look on the Confessor’s face. “She wanted to but the older girl wouldn’t let her.” 

“Good,” Kahlan nodded, already moving to see for herself. “Thank you, have a good day.”

“You too, Mother Confessor,” they both said and nodded stiffly but politely to Cara, who just nodded back. 

“I think the girls might be showing off,” Cara drawled, accompanying Kahlan’s hurried stride. 

“Definitely your daughters,” Kahlan chuckled, while Cara rolled her eyes.

They went outside and could already make out a circle of soldiers in the middle of the courtyard. As the crowd parted to let the Mother Confessor through, they spotted Sarah and Alys facing each other in a sparring match.

“Como on, Alys,” Sarah called, watching as her sister went down once again. “You know you can’t beat me,” she teased, grinning as the blonde girl just glared and charged at her again.

Kahlan noticed the sunlight reflect off of Alys’ weapons of choice. Sarah was using her ever trusting staff, the weapon’s loud wailing cries alone made chills run down anyone’s spine. She assumed Alys would be using the two agiels she got the day before, but Kahlan smiled softly when she noticed the little girl was brandishing two daggers, albeit smaller than the ones she herself used. 

“You seem to forget I’ve killed two Mord’Sith yesterday,” Alys said proudly, nodding at the crowd as a few gasps and surprised comments were heard.

“They weren’t counting on your irritating babbling, that can kill anyone,” Sarah grinned. “But, sadly for you, it doesn’t work with me,” she quipped and launched another attack at her little sister. 

“One day I will beat you,” Alys said panting with the exertion of blocking and dodging her sister’s attacks. “All I have to do is keep trying,” she exhaled sharply, the air leaving her lungs after Sarah had swiped her legs from under her and she went down once more. 

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” a voice was heard from the crowd surrounding them, attracting curious looks form all around the courtyard.

Sarah looked back to see Cara draw her twin agiels and advance on her with a challenging glint in her eyes. 

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy seeing you getting a beating for a change,” Alys giggled and ran to Kahlan, wrapping her arms around her mother’s waist in a quick hug. 

“You girls have been having fun, I see,” Kahlan bent down slightly to kiss Alys’s forehead. “You think you sister can take your mom?” Kahlan asked in a conspiring whisper. 

“No way!” Alys giggled, settling her back against Kahlan’s front to watch the match. “Sarah has never beaten mom,” the girl revealed, enjoying her mother’s arms around her shoulders as they both payed attention to the two leather clad figures facing each other. 

“You do remember I got you the first time we met,” Sarah said in a taunting tone, circling her mother carefully. “I can do it again,” she smirked confidently. 

“You tricked me with that mutating thing you have there,” Cara rebuked, motioning to the staff. “You won’t have another chance,” she assured and quickly leaped into her first attack. 

Cara attacked Sarah with fast and effective strikes, taking the teen off guard but smiled approvingly when she saw her recover quickly. Cara pressed her daughter with relentless attacks, so as not to let the girl recover and trying to out maneuver her since she had one weapon in each hand and that was starting to pay off because Sarah was having difficulty in countering both agiels at the same time. 

In a gesture born from practice and muscle memory, Sarah separated her staff in the precise moment her mother was attacking her from two angles at a time, managing to defend both blows and pushing her mother back with a well-placed kick and a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Cara nodded impressively at Sarah’s quick thinking and quick reacting to her dual attack and took a moment to circle the brunette, as much to assess her next move as to make the restless teen nervous. Once again, without any visible warning, Cara attacked Sarah again, this time, since the girl was fighting her with two agiels, she risked a closer combat, trying to land a blow. Sarah seemed to start to weaken, Cara could tell she was getting closer and closer to the teen, but in a blink of an eye, when she was well within Sarah’s personal space, the girl fused both agiels again and Cara was only saved from a full blow to the side by her lightning reflexes and a less than impressive stumble backwards. The staff didn’t struck her fully, but the blonde gritted her teeth when the end of the weapon grazed her stomach and sent a jolt of pain through her body. 

“Almost,” Sarah smirked, her eyes blazing with excitement as she took some deep breaths to center herself.

“And yet, still not enough,” Cara countered, breathing heavily. 

This time it was Sarah that attacked first, emboldened by her near successful strike. Her staff flew around with incredible speed, forcing Cara into some quick foot work to avoid the weapon or counter it with her own. Sarah’s eagerness proved to be her downfall though; in her excitement to push Cara into a defeat she could almost envision, she neglected her own defense and left an opening that her more experienced and meticulous mother took full advantage of.

Cara saw Sarah put her full weigh behind the staff to land what she must have thought was a sure blow, but the move left her flank unprotected. The blonde sidestepped her daughter and thrust one agiel to Sarah’s side, letting the pain of the weapon prevent the teen from countering or moving away, and using her other agiel to swipe Sarah’s feet from beneath her. When Sarah’s back hit the ground, Cara wasted no time in kicking the staff off her hand and kneeling over the teen, her agiel pointed at her throat, making her the indisputable winner of the match. 

“Looks like I win,” Cara smirked down at her daughter, while the brunette was trying to catch her breath. “Your weapon is over there, if you’re wondering,” she teased, motioning with her head to the staff laying a couple of meters away from them while she sheathed her agiels.

Sarah rolled on her stomach with a groan, trying to get the air back in her lungs. She got up on her hands and knees, but a weigh impacting her prevented her from raising any further. 

“Yay, mom wins,” Alys screamed as she dived on Sarah’s back and made the teen slam back down on the ground. “Eat dust!” the blonde girl laughed. 

“Get off me!” Sarah complained, but it didn’t have the intended reprimanded effect because she started to laugh at her sister’s antics. 

“Let your sister recover,” Cara said as she grabbed Alys by her armpits and lifted her up to stand beside her. “The poor thing hit the ground pretty hard,” she mocked but lost her smirk a second after when she felt her legs being swooped from under her and her back hit the ground. 

Still laying on the ground, Cara turned her head slowly to watch Sarah get up with a satisfied smirk, dusting her leathers without taking her mirthful eyes off Cara.

“Need a hand, mom?” Alys giggled as she peered down at a stunned Cara laying on the floor. 

“Let her recover, Alys,” Sarah drawled. “The poor thing hit the floor pretty hard,” she mocked, making Alys laugh freely and Cara roll her eyes. 

“I see you’re a sore loser,” Cara told Sarah while she got herself up swiftly. 

“You’re one to talk,” Kahlan said from behind them with a fond smile. 

“What side are you on?” Cara scoffed at her lover.

“The girls’,” Kahlan replied without missing a beat, grinning at Cara’s indignant expression. “It’s not often that someone knocks you down on your back, so that was really amusing to watch,” Kahlan teased. 

Cara just tilted her head at Kahlan’s last comment and, after making sure that the girls were busy with retrieving Sarah’s staff and already discussing another sparring match, she approached Kahlan slowly and leaned in to whisper in her ear. 

“You manage to knock me down on my back often enough,” she said suggestively, smirking as Kahlan’s cheeks burned bright red and the brunette looked around them to make sure no one heard. “Don’t look so flustered, Mother Confessor, what will people say?” she teased, earning herself a light slap on her stomach.

“You’re incorrigible,” Kahlan whispered back with a grin. “Girls, let’s get back inside, I think the sun is getting to your mom,” she said playfully, extending her hand for Alys to take.

“I’m hungry,” Alys said as she took Kahlan’s hand and skipped next to the Confessor as they started to walk back inside, much to the disappointment of the soldiers who were having a great time with the sparring matches.

“Hungry?” Sarah said flabbergasted. “We ate before coming here,” she admonished her sister.

“I get that you had a little dust snack just now, so you might not be hungry,” Alys looked back at her sister with a teasing look. “But I need something to make my tummy happy,” she grinned, patting her stomach.

“See what I have to put up with?” Sarah complained to an amused Cara, as they walked side by side. 

“She’s not wrong,” Cara shrugged. “You did eat a little dust,” Cara half smiled.

“There’s no need to rub it in,” Sarah glared at Cara sideways.

“You won’t get my sympathy,” Cara shook her head. “What you did to me? That was not a clean move,” she admonished, glaring back at the teen.

“You were the one who taught me to take advantage of every opportunity,” Sarah shrugged, holding Cara’s glare and trying not to smile. 

Kahlan was hearing the two argue behind her and looked down questionably at the happily skipping girl beside her.

“Are they always like this in the future?” Kahlan asked, motioning to the still bickering duo behind them.

“No,” Alys said, shaking her head. “They’re a lot worse than that,” she grinned. “Mom wants things done one way and Sarah wants to do things her on way, sometimes it gets pretty intense,” she grimaced. 

“I think I can imagine,” Kahlan looked back again at the remarkably alike green-eyed women and smiled to herself, sure that two strong wills were bound to clash, but also certain that they would always be there for each other. 

********************

Richard entered the Mother Confessor’s office, his neatly trimmed bearded face tightly closed with determination and his hand gripping the hilt of the Sword of Truth in anticipation of the battle that was to begin soon. 

“Kahlan, everything is planned and ready,” Richard announced as soon as he entered. “We are just waiting for your order,” he said looking into the brunette’s tired but determined eyes. 

“We put this off long enough,” Kahlan said as she got from behind her desk and approached his old friend, the red colors of the house of Rahl accentuating his royal look. “Get everyone to their posts, we attack today,” she said fiercely. 

Richard nodded to her curtly, a satisfied half smile on his lips and walked out of the office. The Mother Confessor watched her friend leave and took a deep breath, schooling her features in a cold mask, she also walked out of her office. By the end of this day, her enemies would be sorry they ever messed with her family.

********************

Kahlan was listening intently as Alys told her about every single detail of her morning workout with her sister while they went to meet Richard and Zedd. The little blonde was gesturing excitedly as she exemplified to Kahlan the moves she had used. Cara and Sarah were walking behind them, chuckling at the girl’s enthusiasm and throwing a teasing comment here and there. 

“Here comes the mighty warrior,” Zedd addressed Alys with a smile as he watched them enter the room. 

“Did you see me fight Sarah, Zedd?” Alys asked excitedly, letting go of her mother’s hand and joining Zedd.

“We were watching you two from the balcony,” Richard said as he ruffled the blonde’s hair affectionately. “You’re very good with those daggers,” he complimented the girl and turned to Sarah. “And you’re dangerous, those men were no match for you,” he nodded impressed as Sarah smiled modestly. 

“How rigorous is your training?” Cara asked Sarah curiously. 

“I train twice a day,” Sarah replied. “Early mornings, before lessons or hearings, and late afternoon. Alys only trains in the mornings, for now, the advanced training is not for her yet,” she said with a wink at her sister. 

“Who trains you?” Kahlan asked, also interested in the girls’ combat training. 

“You and mom. But mostly mom, since you’re often busy with other matters, she designs the exercises and organizes it. And if you’re both busy, Raina or Berdine take over,” Sarah clarified.

“Well, it’s seems to be paying off judging by what we’ve seen from here,” Richard said. “Not that anything else was to be expected,” he chuckled humorously as he looked at Cara.

“Obviously,” Cara merely said making the others laugh. 

While everyone was laughing at Cara’s never faltering confidence on her abilities, the sound of the door opening again attracted their attention. Dennee entered the room, but paused slightly when she noticed everyone looking expectantly at her. The awkward silence was broken by a very childlike expression of glee.

“Aunt Dennee!” Alys smiled widely and ran carelessly to wrap her arms around the extremely surprised Confessor. 

“You must be Alys,” Denne couldn’t help but smile down and the affectionate little girl, who looked up at her with none of the reluctance she could see in the rest of the faces present. “Spirits, your eyes…” she said distractedly as she immediately noticed the striking resemblance they had to her sister’s blue eyes.

Dennee cupped the girl’s cheek and smiled gently as she took in Alys’ features. There was no doubt that this girl looked a lot like her sister, she could easily identify the sweet features she grew up with. But the girl clearly lacked her sister’s more reserved nature, she sure had no problem in abording Dennee in such an easy going way that immediately charmed the Confessor. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Dennee said in awe, her eyes watering as the thought that this was her future niece struck her.

“Thank you,” Alys said shyly, lowering her eyes and bouncing on her feet.

“I’ve warned everyone already to stop complementing her,” Sarah said in mock reprimand. “You will all pay for this in the future, she won’t let you hear the end of it,” she teased, but smiled at the sight of her aunt clearly warming up to her little sister. 

“Oh shush,” Alys shot at her sister as she rolled her eyes. “You’re just jealous,” she teased while she pulled Dennee by the hand towards the rest of the group.

“Of course,” Sarah nodded seriously. “Because that’s what I strive for, to be renown by my looks,” she glared mockingly at Alys. 

“Haven’t you girls bickered enough for one day already?” Cara asked in astonishment, after being witness to the back and forth teasing between the two on their way here. 

“Something tells me this is just a very small sample,” Kahlan said with raised eyebrows, having her suspicions confirmed by the two grinning girls. 

“Did you manage to find what I asked?” Zedd cleared his throat and asked Dennee.

“Yes, that’s what I was coming to talk to you about,” the Confessor confirmed, absentmindedly combing Alys’ hair with her fingers.

“What are you talking about?” Kahlan asked in a serious tone, but a smile tugged at her lips at the sight of the interaction between her sister and her daughter; Alys sure charmed anyone in a couple of seconds. 

“Zedd asked me to determine if the Triangle of Anuyr was at the Wizard’s Keep,” Dennee replied to her sister. “From what he told me, it’s the amulet you need to travel to the future,” she looked at the wizard for confirmation.

“Indeed,” Zedd nodded. “The Triangle of Anuyr is most definitely the amulet Farkas used to travel to our time and we will use the one we have here in the Keep to travel to the future and return the girls to their own time,” he smiled as he saw the happiness and relief in the girl’s eyes. 

“So that’s it?” Richard asked with a raised eyebrow. “You just need an amulet? No powerful magic of any kind?” the Seeker said in a teasing tone. 

“You would do well not to mock me, boy,” Zedd chastised. “I’ll have you known that to operate this amulet safely and correctly, powerful magic is indeed necessary,” he pierced Richard with his gaze. “Or else something could go very wrong,” he finished warningly.

“How wrong are we talking about here, wizard?” Cara asked, knowing Zedd’s magic could very well go awry and not willing to risk it with the girls.

“It could happen the same thing it happened when they got here,” Zedd explained patiently. “They could end up in a very different place than we intend them to go and arrive there separated from each other,” he finished, watching the girls’ smiles turn to displeased looks.

“Then we go with them and make sure they get where they’re suppose to go,” Cara stated, clearly finding the solution to this problem very simple.

“That’s not advisable, Cara,” Zedd warned, already sensing by the impatient intake of breath from the Mord’Sith that she was not going to agree with him. “Witnessing our own future can be dangerous,” he repeated what he had said countless times by now.

“What are you so scared of? Arriving there to discover there’s no more spices anywhere in the world anymore?” Cara raised her brow. 

“I’m not the one who should be scared of what I’ll find there,” he said looking pointedly at Cara, not one bit amused by the blonde’s dry humor. 

Cara’s jaw tightened at Zedd’s comment, knowing perfectly well that the wizard was referring to her own death. But if she was dead in the future there was nothing she could do about it, what she could do was make sure the girls arrived safely where they belonged, to Kahlan’s side.

“This is not up for debate,” Cara said through gritted teeth. “You will send me there with them and I’ll make sure they’re safe,” Cara looked at Zedd until the wizard lowered his eyes with a sigh. 

“And I’m going with you,” Kahlan said, making Zedd look back up abruptly and interrupting the wizard when he opened his mouth to speak. “Don’t waste your breath Zedd, you know you won’t be able to dissuade me,” she said with a smile.

“I’m not capable of just standing here and wait for you without knowing if you’re okay,” Richard also chimed in and put a hand on his grandfather’s shoulder. “I guess we are all going, you better find a way to make it happen Zedd,” he grinned at the exasperated wizard.

“This is not in any way responsible!” Zedd threw is hands up in exasperation. “Is this the example you want to give to these girls?” he tried one last time to make them change their minds.

“I would actually fell safer if you all came with us,” Alys said sweetly and batted her eyelashes up at Zedd. 

“Don’t think that I’m not seeing through your manipulation, young lady,” Zedd squinted down suspiciously at the smiling girl. “But I’ll allow it this time,” he conceded.

“As if you weren’t doing the same with that example speech and whatnot,” Alys scoffed at the wizard with a roll of her eyes, making the others snicker.

“I already agreed!” Zedd cleared his throat awkwardly. “Let’s drop the subject,” he said as the others looked knowingly at him, also seeing though his attempt at swaying them.

“So, all we need is to fetch this amulet from the Keep?” Richard inquired.

“That and I still need to do a little research on it,” Zedd said pensively. “Bringing this many people through the time portal is not as easy as you fools think,” he mumbled. “And since you’re so eager to help, you should come with me,” Zedd told Richard, who readily nodded.

“I’ll also go with you,” Dennee said, both wanting to make sure everything would be available to the wizard and wanting to get out of the room, it was too soon to converse like nothing had happened. 

Sarah watched the three of them walk out of the room with a thoughtful look as she worried her bottom lip. Listening to her instincts, she excused herself and followed them outside. 

“Aunt Dennee?” Sarah called after the Confessor, making them all halt and turn to her. 

“Go ahead,” Dennee told the two men. “I’ll meet you there,” she assured and turned to face Sarah, not without some apprehension. 

“Everything will be okay, you know?” Sarah said softly as she came to stand close to Dennee, smiling sadly when the Confessor lowered her eyes to the floor.

“What do you mean?” Dennee asked in an equally soft tone, her eyes staring blankly at the marble beneath her feet.

“You and my mothers will eventually make up,” she clarified, watching a shadow pass over Dennee’s eyes. 

“I’m not so sure,” the Confessor closed her eyes briefly. “What I did was…” she sighed and shook her head regretfully. 

“Well, I can actually say that I am sure,” Sarah smiled encouragingly. “Because where I’m from it has already happened,” she said gently but with a hint of humor.

“You mean, in your future we get along?” Dennee asked hopefully, finally lifting her eyes to face the teen. 

“In our future you get along very well,” Sarah nodded. “Even with her,” Sarah said, trusting her aunt knew she was referring to Cara.

Dennee sighed and stared at the door behind which was the blonde Mord’Sith. With what she had seen and heard when she had confessed the blonde and from what her sister had told her yesterday, she was already seeing Cara in a different light. How could she not, when the woman, to her great surprise, had asked Kahlan for mercy in her behalf, when all she expected was an agiel to her heart in the middle of the night.

“You know, it’s really strange,” Dennee started as she looked closely at Sarah. “When I look at you, I see her face; your eyes especially, shine a green that is almost identical to hers,” she continued, daring to cup Sarah’s cheek gently. “But when I look closely and see past the color, all I can see is my sister looking back at me,” she marveled. “You remind me of her when she was your age, always collected but it was a calm that hid a fiery soul.” 

“People tell me often I behave more and more like my mother as I grow up,” Sarah smiled proudly. “I guess I don’t want to let her down, I know what my responsibilities are and I want to do right by our people,” she said solemnly. 

“Yes, that sense of responsibility and duty is exactly what drove my sister since we arrived here at Aydindril,” Dennee nodded with a distant look, recalling the past. “I can see already that you have the same qualities,” she smiled approvingly.

“Thank you,” Sarah said. “It means a lot to me to me to hear you say that,” she smiled.

“I’m sorry for having imprisoned you when you got here,” Denne apologized.

“You did the right thing, I actually should be thanking you,” Sarah dismissed her aunt’s apology. “I was in the Con Dar and I know I hurt a lot of guards, either with my weapon or, even worse, by confessing them,” she sighed. “So, I’m glad someone stopped me.”

“My sister must be extremely proud of you,” Dennee smiled. “You certainly are a fine young woman,” she smiled wider when Sarah ducked her head shyly and shrugged sheepishly. 

********************

“So, are you girls excited to finally get back to your own time?” Kahlan asked from her seat at a large divan against the wall. 

After the others had left and Sarah had returned to the room, the four of them settled in to have some time to themselves. It was obvious the girls wouldn’t be with them for much longer and she knew she would miss them, so she wanted to enjoy every second they had left. Judging by the relaxed posture and attentive way the blonde next to her listened to the girls, she guessed Cara was feeling the same as her. 

“Yes!” Alys said as she kept jumping up and down on the divan she was sharing with her sister, opposite the one her mothers were sitting on.

“Will you stop jumping on the furniture, please?” Sarah said as she pushed her sister back down in a sitting position. 

“Spirits, stop saying things like that,” Alys complained. “You sound like them,” Alys pointed at their mothers, who were watching them with amusement. 

“Someone has to, since they don’t sound exactly like what we’re use to,” Sarah chuckled. “I’d really love to see you do that back home in front of mother,” Sarah said challengingly and grinned when Alys just shook her head with wide eyes. “Exactly my point.” 

“You mother is very strict then?” Cara asked with a side glance at Kahlan.

“This is not being strict, it’s simple etiquette,” Sarah said, receiving an approving nod form Kahlan.

“It’s boring, it’s what it is,” Alys huffed, making the others laugh.

“Sitting tightly might be boring but this adventure of yours was anything but,” Kahlan commented. “Are you both okay with everything that happened to you here? Is there anything you want to talk to us about?” she asked gently, looking between both girls. 

“I guess we both grew up a bit here,” Sarah started with a pensive look. “I for once discovered that my magic allows me to do a lot more than I thought,” she said in awe. 

“And I didn’t give up,” Alys said softly, looking at her feet.

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Kahlan asked with a slight frown, knowing by the sudden serious look on the little girl that the comment had a deeper meaning than it appeared.

“Remember what mom used to tells us?” Alys turned to Sarah. “That we should never give up, especially when it seems like we should or seems like there’s no other option?” Alys explained as Sarah nodded with a small smile of understanding. “I think I never really understood what she meant by that, seemed like something easy enough to do, so I never understood why she always insisted on repeating that to us.” 

“But you were never put on situation where you had to fight for your own survival before,” Cara interjected knowingly, guessing the little girl went through a reality shock like never before in her short life.

“That’s it,” Alys said as if Cara had put her thoughts into words when she was having a hard time doing it herself. “When I was tied down on that hut, with that stupid Rada’Han around my neck and those two staring me down I was really scared,” Alys recalled, leaning into her sister as the teen moved closer and pulled her into a side hug. “Then I remembered what mom used to say and thought that I couldn’t let things just happen to me, I had to do something, anything seemed like a better option than just sitting there crying,” she shrugged meekly. 

“That thought gave you hope,” Kahlan smiled. “We should never lose hope, no matter how dark a situation looks at any given moment.” 

“And it gave you the best kind of hope,” Cara added. “Hope in yourself, that you can always find a way to turn your luck around,” she smiled at the little blonde. 

“I guess I know what mom meant now, but…” Alys looked down sadly.

“But what?” Sarah prompted, leaning to catch her sister’s eyes.

“But I’ll never get the chance to tell her,” Alys looked up at Sara with watering eyes.

Sarah didn’t know what to say to that, she was dealing with the same sentiment after all, so all she did was pull her sister close to her in a comforting hug, as much for the little girl’s benefit as to her own. 

Kahlan’s heart broke at the sight of the two distraught girls. She would do anything to not see these two girls so upset, but this was something she couldn’t fix and there was little comfort she could give them. She knew this was only the beginning, when they got to their own time and were truly confronted by the absence of their mother, Kahlan knew the pain they were feeling now was only going to intensify. She prayed that her future self found the strength to help them grieve. She was about to get up and reach for the girls, when a gentle hand on her knee stopped her. Looking at Cara, she watched her lover get up and kneel before her daughters.

“Listen, both of you,” Cara said as she pierced them with an intense look. “I know I’m not your mother, not yet the person that raised you and was with you everyday of your lives, but she can’t be that much different from me, not when it comes to what I value and the way I see you,” she said calmly, having the full attention of both girls and Kahlan. “And what you are is so much more than I could ever imagine any daughter of mine could be. You are only children, even you,” she pointed out when Sarah raised an eyebrow at her. “And yet you are already so strong, resilient and you show an intelligence that is well beyond what is expected of someone your age. And I can see you strive every day to better yourselves. So, I’m absolutely sure that your mother was proud of you, I know that because that’s what I feel when I look at you both,” she finished, wiping the girls’ tears in silence as she let them process what she had just told them. 

“Thank you,” Sarah whispered after a while. “You have no idea what it means to us to hear you say that,” she sniffed, but a small smile brightened her face. 

“You’re the best,” Alys said as she hopped off the divan and hugged Cara. 

“Yes, well,” Cara cleared her throat. “I seem to recall someone being hungry before,” Cara said to lighten the mood. As if on cue Alys’ stomach grumbled loudly and made them all laugh. 

“How about you go to the kitchen and ask them to bring something here?” Kahlan suggested Alys, trying to give the girl something other to focus on.

“Good idea,” Sarah agreed, looking at her sister. “I’ll go with you to make sure there’s no detours,” she teased the blonde. “But go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you,” she said, but sighed when Alys stopped in her tracks to look back at her.

“Why?” Alys asked suspiciously, thinking that if her sister wanted to talk to their mothers alone it couldn’t be anything good. 

“Don’t worry,” Sarah assured the blonde, noticing her apprehension. “It’s nothing, just go.”

“Are you sure it’s nothing?” Alys pressed, her hands going to her hips, still suspicious and worried.

“Don’t make me kick you out, little thing,” Sarah warned. “Because you know I will.” 

“Okay, then, I’ll go,” Alys agreed, albeit still reluctantly.

Once Alys had exited the room, Sarah looked back at her mothers and tried to collect her thoughts, wondering how she should go about what was bothering her and, due to the nature of the subject, she definitely didn’t want to talk about this in front of her sister and risk upsetting the girl. 

“Whatever it is, just say it,” Cara told the nervous teen, trying to put her at ease.

“You know where I ended up when I came to the past, right?” Sarah asked them.

“In a Mord’Sith temple,” Cara said slowly, furrowing her brow in anticipation of what Sarah was going to tell them.

“I know how Mord’Sith are… trained,” Sarah started slowly. “I mean, I thought I knew, but having been there puts things into a whole new perspective,” she said, looking at Cara. 

“What do you mean?” Cara asked, not sure she really wanted to know. 

“How did you do it?” Sarah asked.

“Do what?” Cara asked, not sure what Sarah was trying to ask.

“Be who you are when you went through all that?” Sarah clarified.

“You mean my training?” Cara asked.

“Training is what I do,” Sarah said with raised eyebrows. “That was torture,” she said with a gulp. 

“It was what it was,” Cara shrugged dismissively. “I know exactly what you must have been through when you were at that temple, it couldn’t have been easy, even with your ability to withstand pain,” Cara said.

“I really wasn’t. Getting back to Alys was what kept me focused,” Sarah said. “They had me hung from chains, beating me over and over until I didn’t even know if it was day or night,” she shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I got my resistance to pain and my subtractive magic from birth and consistent training, but you had it beaten into you,” she frowned.

“That’s how all Mord’Sith are made,” Cara tilted her head, wondering what her daughter was getting at since she knew that already. 

“And living in a temple? That’s certainly not fun,” she continued with wide eyes. “The scheming, the power plays, the backstabbing… you can’t trust your own shadow in there,” she shook her head disbelievingly. 

“What’s your point, Sarah?” Cara questioned, knowing all the teen was saying was true but still not entirely comfortable with discussing her life before joining Richard’s quest. 

“My point is,” Sarah took a deep breath. “How could you grow up in places like those, in those conditions, and still be capable of love? How do you come out of abuse like that and turn into an amazing human being?” 

That took Cara by surprise. She was ready to defend the way she was trained, even knowing she went through terrible things and her mentor made her do even worse things, she still took pride in what she had become, strong and in control. But Sarah didn’t want to debate the righteousness of the Mord’Sith training, she just wanted to know how she had overcome it, when it was almost expected that she would become someone completely different. 

“I joined Richard’s endless quest. But your mother was definitely the one who had the biggest impact in me and the way I viewed the world,” Cara explained, noticing Kahlan turn to face her. “Slowly and very patiently, she showed me there was more to myself than even I could see,” she revealed, glancing at Kahlan and looking back at her daughter.

“It still astonishes me,” Sarah sighed. “I’m used to be around Mord’Sith. When I think about being a Mord’Sith, I think about discipline, resilience, strength, endurance… but I guess I attributed that to the Mord’Sith that surround me, the people they are, I never thought much about the way you were all trained,” Sarah said with some difficulty. “Do you get what I mean?” 

“Yes,” Kahlan spoke for the first time, not wanting to interrupt them both till now. “We are used to see factions. I was always told that the Mord’Sith were my biggest enemies and I firmly and unquestionably believed that, until I was forced to coexist with one,” Kahlan glanced at Cara with a soft smile. “Then I stopped seeing a sisterhood that embodied everything I stood against and just saw a woman, that against all odds turned into a friend and then into the other half of my soul.”

“I guess I started were you ended,” Sarah chuckled. “I only see the woman who raised me, someone that was always there for me and showed me love with every look and even with every reproach,” she grinned at Cara. “I never let myself think much about what you had been through, what you were a part of, before I existed.” 

“I don’t know what I’ll be like years from now,” Cara took a long breath as she pondered her words. “I am proud to be a Mord’Sith, but that’s not all I am, you understand?” she asked, looking closely at Sarah.

“I guess it does all come down to choices,” she said with a small laugh. “That’s something you always told me, that choices make us who we are,” she recalled. “That’s how you overcame all that darkness, wasn’t it? You chose to,” she smiled.

“She’s right,” Kahlan said to Cara. “I may have helped you see things from a new perspective, but you chose to follow the voice already inside you that told you to make the right choices,” she nodded with a smile. “You would never do anything just because I told you to, deep down you agreed with me.” 

“I guess I always had a tendency to question everything around me,” Cara smirked, making the brunettes chuckle. “But yes, that sums it up quiet nicely, in the end, it’s always a choice.” 

“I’m sorry to bring all this up,” Sarah shrugged as she got up from her seat. “It’s just that it was bothering me and I had to ask before we went back,” she sighed and looked at the ground, not needing to explain that she wouldn’t get a chance to ask Cara once she got back to her own time. “I better go look for Alys, that girl could have set the kitchen on fire by now,” she smiled and turned to walk away, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm.

“If you need to talk about anything else, fell free to come to us,” Cara said softly.

“I know,” Sarah nodded, her smile widening. “Thank you, mom,” she said as she hugged Cara and then went in search of her sister.

“We’ll wait here for you,” Kahlan called after the Sarah, the teen giving her a nod over her shoulder as she walked out. 

Kahlan turned her gaze to the standing Cara and her smile fell a little. The blonde had her back to her and was very quiet, which let Kahlan known the talk had shaken her more than she was letting on. Calmly, not wanting to pressure her lover, she stood and hugged her gently from behind, giving the blonde silent comfort until she was ready to talk. 

“How do you do that?” Cara asked after a pause, putting her arms over Kahlan’s. 

“Do what?” Kahlan asked back with a small smile, resting her chin on her lover’s shoulder.

“Know when not to say anything,” Cara replied. “I thought your forte were words,” the blonde smiled.

“Not when it comes to you,” Kahlan said. “With you, words are not the strongest form of communication or comfort,” she revealed, kissing the blonde’s cheek. 

“I appreciate that, you know?” Cara said, turning in Kahlan’s arms. “I never had someone in my life that bothered to look past what I say and see what I mean instead, even when I don’t even know if myself,” she chuckled. 

“Lucky for you I’m very stubborn, don’t scare easily and can hear what you don’t say,” Kahlan smiled gently and sighed. “Like now,” she hinted and watched Cara lower her eyes. “You’re scared,” she whispered and caressed Cara’s cheek with the back of her hand.

“It’s just… hard,” Cara said haltingly, sending a silent thanks to Kahlan when the brunette didn’t point out that she didn’t deny she was scared, something she never in her life admitted to or really felt. “I can see what I’ll have in the future, with the girls and you, and yet I also know that I’ll lose it all. I refuse to let that knowledge control my life but…twenty years seem like less and less time the more I think about it,” she revealed, biting her lower lip and taking a shuddering breath.

“I know exactly what you mean,” Kahlan said softly. “You’re not the only one who feels proud, you know?” she continued, combing Cara’s hair away from her face. “I don’t even have the words to tell you how much I’m proud of you and how much you changed. Letting yourself be hardened by life is easy, happens to everyone of us sooner or later, but you managed to do the opposite, which is so much harder,” Kahlan said, resting her forehead on Cara’s. “You opened your heart to love and came out of the safety of your emotional walls to be with me, even if every instinct of survival you relied upon until now told you to do otherwise; that’s real strength and that’s the woman who I’m going to built a life and a family with,” she continued, placing a gentle kiss on Cara’s cheek and looked into the blonde’s watering eyes. “We won’t be counting down the time we have together, death is inevitable, we’ll live and cherish every second of it, together,” she finished and kissed Cara slowly, every unguarded emotion pouring into the kiss. 

Cara pulled Kahlan closer to her, roaming her hands over the brunette’s sides and back as she deepened the kiss. The brunette’s delicate lips never failed to ground her, when she kissed Kahlan the world around her disappeared and the worried voice in her head dimed down to a faint whisper. She pulled slightly away from Kahlan to look deep into blue eyes and admitted to herself that she had to agree with the wizard, knowing your future could do more harm than good sometimes, but the love and trust she could see in the blue orbs chased away any shadows inside her. Cara didn’t reply to Kahlan, she didn’t need to, the brunette never needed words to understand her. Instead, she pulled Kahlan back into a kiss, letting her lips talk in a language that was unique between the both of them. 

********************

The Mother Confessor tightened her hands around the reigns of her horse as she looked over the expanse of her army under the light of the morning. Looking to her right she could see a sea of red, the banners of the house of Rahl flying in the wind as the thousands of soldiers waited for their Lord’s command to attack. Turning to look back directly ahead of her, she could see the commander of her own army at the front, the war horse carrying the imposing figure while last orders were being given. As per everyone’s agreement, but not to Kahlan’s liking, she was to stay in the rearguard; since she was the main target of their enemies, it would be foolish of them to offer her on a platter. 

Beyond all this was the army of the Blood of the Fold. Tents were all around her city, where they had been mounting siege to them for days, surely waiting for Farkas to fulfil his end of the plan, but since she was still alive and well, she guessed things hadn’t been as easy as the wizard had anticipated. The numbers of the Blood of the Fold were still high, higher than she ever expected, which had forced Aydindril to ask help from D’Hara. As expected, Lord Rahl readily answered her call and had come to her aid. She tried any other way to get her daughters back without resorting to a war, but nor Zedd or all of the other wizards of the council were able to find a solution. Berdine refused to give up, she had requested that Kahlan allowed her to continue searching the various scrolls and old books in the Wizard’s Keep in hopes of yet finding a solution, to which Kahlan had agreed; the Mord’Sith’s loyalty and affection to her daughters always warmed her heart, she couldn’t have asked for better protectors to her girls. So here she was now, ready to face their enemies in battle, nor only to bring her daughters back, but to put an end to a dangerous coup and blind fanatism. She had to stop these people, ones that let themselves be manipulated by power driven lunatics and put at risk the foundations of the law, the law that kept the Midlands safe and just, the law she swore to uphold. 

“Sound the signal,” the Mother Confessor spoke in a clear voice and a second after a war horn was heard all over the field, initiating what was sure to be a bloody, but unavoidable, confrontation. 

********************

Kahlan was sitting with her head on Cara’s shoulder, her body leaning against the blonde’s while they listened to one more of Alys’ tales. The girls had returned for a while now and after they had a little snack, much to Alys’ contentment, they sat together talking for the better part of the morning. She was marveled with this peaceful moment, it wasn’t often on their quest that they could just sit and talk, so it made her smile when she thought that she would get many moments like these in the future. The door opening ended her musings and they all looked to see Zedd and Richard enter.

“Zedd,” Kahlan addressed the wizard as she sat up, smiling inwardly when Cara’s hand moved from her side to the small of her back, clearly looking to maintain some kind of contact. “How did it go with the amulet?” she asked. 

“I checked out some details that I needed and I’m happy with what I found,” Zedd nodded, sharing a smile with Richard. “I can make it work; we can take the girls home.” 

“The girls and an escort?” Cara asked pointedly.

“Yes, Cara,” Zedd confirmed with a good-natured smile, as if he was already expecting the Mord’Sith to say this. “We can all go with them and make sure they arrive safe and sound,” he nodded to a pleased Cara. 

“When?” Sarah questioned eagerly. 

“As soon we discuss one last, very important, detail,” Zedd said more serious. 

“More waiting then,” Alys said in a deflated tone. 

“Have patience, my child. Travelling through time is not like creating some fireworks to amuse ourselves,” Zedd said warningly. “Creator helps us, I still don’t like this plan,” he sighed and rubbed his forehead while he sat down next to Sarah.

“And I still don’t care what you think,” Cara said as she tilted her head at Zedd. “What is it now?” she asked with an impatient sigh.

“Simply put, we need to forget our time there and the girls’ time here,” Zedd explained.

“You mean, we’ll forget we ever met the girls?” Kahlan asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Zedd thinks it’s best we forget we ever met them and what we might eventually see when we go to the future,” Richard said, leaning on the divan her grandfather was sat on and crossing his arms with a pensive expression.

“I agree,” Cara said, surprising everyone, especially Zedd. “Some things aren’t meant to be known before they happen,” she nodded reluctantly, purposefully avoiding everyone’s eyes. 

“Once again you surprise me, my dear,” Zedd smiled, not wanting to bring attention to what he suspected were Cara’s reasons for her agreement, but thankful for it. “When we get back, we’ll drink a potion of forgetfulness and we’ll be none the wiser.”

“What about Dennee?” Kahlan asked. “And the wizards I banished? The people form Aydindril may not know who the girls truly are, but they do, couldn’t that be dangerous?”

“We thought the same thing,” Richard nodded. “That’s why we agreed with Dennee that she’ll find them and make them drink the potion too, one way or the other, only then will she drink it herself,” Richard explained their plan, smiling at Kahlan’s satisfied look.

“And what exactly will we be forgetting?” Kahlan insisted, glancing at Cara before focusing on Zedd. “Since the girls came into our lives a lot of things happened, will our memories just be reset back to the day we first met Alys?” Kahlan asked worriedly, not wanting to forget a single moment she had spent with Cara since then, especially the progress of their relationship and what they had discovered about the safety of the expression of their love physically.

“Don’t worry, Kahlan,” Zedd assuaged with an understanding smile. “We’ll only be forgetting the girls’ presence, but any other experience we had and knowledge we acquired will still remain, just morphed in a way that doesn’t involve the presence of any of the girls,” he explained and looked around to see understanding in everyone’s faces.

“So, you just have to brew this forgetfulness potion and we’re good to go?” Sarah asked.

“Yes,” Zedd confirmed, looking at the teen. “I already asked Dennee to send someone to get the ingredients I’ll need from town,” he informed, looking at Kahlan inquiringly and smiling when the Confessor nodded her approval. 

“Does that mean we get to go today or that the potion takes ages to make?” Alys asked with a frown, not wanting to be excited again just to be told she was still days away from getting back home.

“The potion is powerful, but simple to make,” Zedd chuckled. “If everyone agrees, we have the means to go today, as soon as this afternoon,” he said, smiling at the girls’ clear enthusiasm.

“Can we go today?” Alys got up in one jump and stood in front of her mothers. “Please? Can we?” she bounced slightly, her eyes pleading her mothers to agree. 

“I don’t see why not,” Kahlan raised her brow and looked at Cara to gather her opinion.

“Me neither,” Cara shrugged and barely had time to catch Alys as the girl threw herself in between her and Kahlan, managing to hug them both at the same time.

“Thank you,” Alys said and stood back up, looking at her sister with a big grin.

“Thank the Creator,” Sarah breathed out. “No offense to any of you, but we’ve been here long enough,” she chuckled.

“We get it,” Kahlan said reassuringly. “Don’t worry, you’ll be home very soon,” she smiled and turned to look at Cara.

Despite the Mord’Sith’s amazing ability to conceal her emotions, Kahlan could see the slight apprehension in the blonde’s eyes. She took Cara’s hand and squeezed reassuringly, noticing Cara look back at her with gratitude in her eyes. The look of understanding that passed between them made Kahlan’s heart swell, they were getting really good at this talking without words. She smiled at Cara and turned back to the others, her hand never leaving Cara’s. 

********************

The battle was gruesome, loud and violent, like every battle there was. But in face of the combined armies of the Midlands and D’Hara, the Blood of the Fold ended up succumbing. Kahlan had to admire the organized and tactically clever way in witch the combined armies moved; she made a mental note to commend the ones in charge of both the planning and execution of the attack. Lives had been lost today, but with the way the attack was executed, she was sure they had lost the least amount possible. 

“Mother Confessor,” a fast approaching soldier on horseback shouted, taking her attention away from the dying down battle in front of her. “The wizard Zedd sent me to warn you that Farkas is back in our time,” he relayed with panting breaths. 

“Quick, go warn the commander leading the team in charge of hunting him down,” the Mother Confessor ordered, knowing the amulet Zedd was using to sense when Farkas returned to their time had warned him of the wanted wizard’s presence. “You know who it is?” she asked just to make sure there were no mistakes when they certainly had little time to catch the wizard before he went back to the past again. 

“I do, Mother Confessor,” the soldier nodded and took off at full speed, in the direction of the battlefront. 

Kahlan was still watching the rider go when a familiar sequence of horn sounds was heard through the battlefield. This was the signal she was waiting for; they had captured Eratos, the leader of the Blood of the Fold. Now it was finally her turn to move. With a look at the men from the Home Guard surrounding her, she spurred her horse forward at full gallop, going through the soldiers still engaged in combat, but it was clear that the Blood of the Fold were already retreating. She guided her horse towards the Rahl banner she could make out rising above the soldiers and sure enough, she met Richard under it.

“Let’s see what you have to say to the Mother Confessor,” Richard was saying when Kahlan halted her horse near them and took a moment to assess the situation from the height the animal allowed.

Eratos was kneeling in front of Richard, his nose was bleeding, most certainly a curtesy of Richard’s fist. Several men dressed with the Blood of the Fold colors were around them, some being kept on their knees by D’Haran soldiers and most dead on the ground. The Sword of Truth was still pointing menacingly at Eratos' throat, the blade glowing like fire, a testament to Richard’s growing anger. 

“Mother Confessor, how nice of you to join us,” Eratos said with venom, spitting blood on the floor.

“Where is Farkas?” Kahlan ignored the man’s provocation, going straight to what she wanted to know as she dismounted and approached him.

“I won’t tell you anything, you whore,” Eratos spat before hissing as a sharp blade was pressed against his neck.

“You will not talk like that to the Mother Confessor,” Richard warned, pressing his sword until it broke skin.

“I am a soldier,” Eratos stared defiantly at Richard. “Swords don’t scare me,” he smirked grotesquely. 

“I can think of something more dangerous than a blade that could be pressed against your neck,” Kahlan said calmly, contrasting greatly to the way she really felt. “And it will certainly make you answer my questions," she said meaningfully, noticing Eratos' eyes reflexively shift to her hands as the man swallowed with some dificulty, a clear sign that he was not as confident as he wanted to appear. 

“You have no right to threaten me,” Eratos replied stubbornly, his voice cracking unintentionally as he watched Kahlan slowly approach him. “I deserve a trial, you have no right-“

“I judge you, not the other way around,” Kahlan’s voice boomed with authority over his. “And you deserve nothing.” 

The Mother Confessor lifted her hand and reached for the man's throat, her eyes determinedly fixed on his. She watched as beads of sweat ran down his pale face, his eyes widenening with dread and his jaw clenching, seeming to be bracing himself as the Mother Confessor hand got closer and closer to his throat with a promise of robbing him of his free will. But Kahlan knew men. As a Confessor, she knew their fears, she knew what they hid in their hearts from the rest of the world but could never hide from a Confessor. Most men were weak and when their own survival was at stake, they often abandoned all bravado and lolyalties in favor of saving themselves. So Kahlan was patient and let Eratos' survival instinct kick in. She closed her hand around Eratos' throat slowly, his entire body shaking with the small but certainly deadly contact. And then what she expected happened. 

"Wait! Please!" Eratos pleaded, his eyes closing tightly in antecipation, hoping his request would be answered.

The Mother Confessor smirked in satisfaction and traded a knowing look with Richard. Eratos showed his true self for all to see and not just the Confessor. He would give up everything for the small chance to save his own skin.

"What a surprise," the Mother Confessor said sarcastically, her hand still closed menacingly around the man's throat. "We have ourselves a coward." 

"I'll tell you everything you want to know, Mother Confessor," Eratos said, finally opening his eyes and looking at the woman who held his life in her hand. "But, please, spare me from confession," he said meekly, the arrogance he showed moments before completely vanished in the face of Kahlan's power. 

"You are in no position to bargain with me," the Mother Confessor replied with a stone cold expression. "What I do with you is for me to decide."

"I'll tell you everything you want to know," Eratos repeated, clearly desperate since the Confessor had yet to remove her hand from his thoat. "I promise I'll be truthfull, you can be sure of that."

"Oh, I know I can be sure of that," the Mother Confessor said and squeezed Eratos' throat meaningfully, making him take a sudden intake of breath. "But lets try the usual way for now. Where is Farkas?” Kahlan asked icily, finally releasing her grip on the man's throat. 

“I don’t know, Mother Confessor,” he shook his head after a sigh of relief, his eyes steady on Kahaln's, knowing the Confessor would read the truth in his words. “The last time I heard from him, he had managed to capture your youngest daughter in the past. But since then, nothing.”

“Capture? What do you mean, capture?” Kahlan demanded, a hint of fear in her voice. “What did he do to her? To what purpose?” 

“He has her chained in a cabin near Aydindril,” Eratos replied readily. “Used a Rada’Han to bind her power and have Mord’Sith guarding her. He intends to blackmail your younger self into trading her life for the life of your daughter,” he explained. 

Kahlan’s heart stopped. If she was still alive, that meant her younger self was still safe, which in turn could only mean that Alys was most likely still a prisoner. If the wizard was here now, they had to find him fast, Alys’ life was in danger.

“Farkas is in our time right now,” Kahlan said to Eratos. “Where does he go when he travels here?” she questioned, her fists closing in anger and worry. 

“I don’t know, Mother Confessor,” Eratos shook his head. “We communicate mostly through a book where I register everything, so he spends the least amount of time here,” the man informed. “I have no idea where he comes from,” he shook his head again, a little more at ease since it seemed that the Confessor was not going to confess him after all. Maybe he could yet escape what he thought was his final fate.

Kahlan noticed the glimmer of hope in the kneeling man's eyes. He was probably trying to think of a way to escape his current situation. But he was in Kahlan's hands now, there was no escape. Knowing the guards would handle the prisoner and having more important things to worry about for now, she ignored Eratos and turned to her friend. 

“We need to find him,” Kahlan said to Richard, her desperation well concealed and only noticeable to her old friend.

“They already left to search for him, as we planned,” Richard said, his hand resting reassuringly on Kahlan’s shoulder. “The map Sebastian made with his machine to find the Triangle of Anuyr will lead them right to Farkas, he needs the Triangle to travel through time so he’ll have it with him,” he reminded the increasingly distraught Confessor of the plans they had made beforehand. 

“He caught Alys, Richard,” Kahlan closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing and not lose it in front of the soldiers. “He has my baby girl in chains, with a Rada’Han around her neck,” she hissed, a rogue tear ran down her face as she tried to get herself together. 

“We’ll get her Kahlan,” Richard took hold of both her shoulders and looked Kahlan in the eyes, trying to convey as much confidence as he could. “We’ll get them both,” he said with firm nod.

Kahlan hopped he was right, because she wasn’t sure she could take much more of this. The stress she was under in the last days was wearing her down slowly but surely; she needed to find her girls and she needed to do it now. 

********************

Kahlan entered the Wizard’s keep, preceded by two very eager girls. Sarah and Alys were walking ahead of them, clearly knowing their way around, while she, Cara and Richard followed them inside the huge building to meet Zedd at the library. The wizard had summoned them all there, apparently having finished all the necessary preparations for their trip to the future.

“Is everything ready, Zedd?” Sarah asked, looking around the assortment of vials on the nearest table. 

“Yes, I’ve prepared enough potion for all of us, except you two, of course,” the wizard said, looking at both girls. “I have the Triangle of Anuyr with me,” he said, showing the amulet already in his hand. “So, we’re set to go as soon as everyone is ready,” he finished with a nod.

“Why do it here?” Cara asked, looking around the tall walls and shelves, most of which were filled with books. “Shouldn’t we do this outside the city?” 

“I thought that since we are already here and this is a place of magic, it would aid me with my precision when I focus on the place we want to go to, which is this same library in the future,” Zedd explained. “And we would already be closer to the Palace, without risking popping in the middle of the Chair room,” he raised his brow as he conveyed his logic.

“And that way avoiding alerting the multiple guards stationed on the Palace or avoid being recognized on our way inside the city,” Kahlan guessed without difficulty, receiving a confirming nod from Zedd. 

“So your plan is to sneak in there through the library?” Cara asked, making sure they were all in the same page.

“Yes, I don’t anticipate that the inside of the library of the Wizard’s Keep will be overridden with soldiers,” Zedd said, looking at Sarah for confirmation.

“Normally they are stationed only at the entrance,” Sarah explained. “The Keep is not the most crowded place in Aydindril, seems like the safest way in,” she agreed. 

“Can we go already?!” Alys interrupted, throwing her arms up in frustration. 

“We better,” Richard chuckle. “Or someone will combust from excitement,” he said as he looked at Alys. 

“Do you need anything else from me, Zedd?” Dennee asked, being already there when the others arrived.

“No, just what we discussed,” Zedd said, giving her a few vials with a blue liquid. “Find the wizards from the former council and make them take one,” he repeated the instructions he had already given her. 

“And only then do I take my own,” Dennee finished with a nod before turning to Kahlan. “They left yesterday so they can’t be far from here. I’ll make sure this is done, don’t worry,” she told her sister.

“I know, Dennee,” Kahlan said without any doubt. “I trust you,” she smiled. 

“Then let’s get this show on the road,” Zedd clapped his hands once. “The rest of the potion will remain here, we’ll take it when we come back,” he explained as the others nodded.

Zedd held the Triangle of Anuyr with his two hands and walked a couple of paces away from the others. He raised his arms and started to speak in a strange language, his voice growing louder as the conjuring progressed. Before their eyes, a light appeared, fluctuating midair. The light started to expand gradually, as Zedd kept chanting, and eventually it formed a portal. A similar room could be seen on the other side.

“Well, who wants to be the first one through?” Zedd asked, panting a little from the exertion of the magic. 

“I’ll go,” Cara said, already walking towards the portal, but stopped just in front of it and turned to Zedd. “If I end up on top of a mountain somewhere, it will take me a while, but I’ll get back to you and I’ll snap your neck,” she said to the wizard with a stoic expression.

“Seems reasonable to me,” Zedd agreed and motioned with his hand for Cara to go through. 

Once Cara stepped into the portal, she felt a shiver run down her spine, but other than that it was no different than walking through the threshold of a door. She looked carefully around, noticing with relief that she was not in a mountain but in a room identical to the one she came from. After making sure there were no immediate threats in the room, she looked back at the others and nodded. 

“That seems a lot more stable than the portal Farkas created,” Sarah commented, noticing that when she first went through a portal, she couldn’t see what was on the other side, but now she clearly saw Cara standing there waiting. 

“Don’t forget I’m a wizard of the First Order, my child,” Zedd puffed out his chest. “My mastery with magic is greater than that of lesser wizards,” he wiggled his eyebrows.

“When you’re done patting yourself on the back, feel free to follow,” Cara told Zedd in a low voice, not wanting to attract unwanted attention, but her piercing green eyes spoke volumes of her impatience. 

One by one, the rest of the group followed Cara through the portal, having much the same experience as the blonde Mord’Sith. When all of them were on the same side, Zedd closed the portal with a couple of whispered words and stored the Triangle of Anuyr in his robes. 

“Now what?” Cara asked in a loud whisper, looking expectantly at the others.

Cara was still not sure they were where they were supposed to be and she did not like the unknown. Looking at Kahlan and seeing the same light apprehension in the brunette’s eyes, she hopped Zedd had really managed to take them to the right time, or else, there was no telling what they would find here; it could go well… or it could go very wrong. 


	25. Chapter 25

The silence that surrounded them was almost absolute and the tall shelves that were around them prevented them to see much past the nook they stood at, which did nothing to clue them in if they were alone or not.

“This is the library of the Wizards Keep, no doubt about that,” Zedd informed in a low voice, not wanting to risk making their presence known before being sure they were safe.

“Did we cross to the right time, wizard?” Cara asked warily, her hand clutching the agiel at her waist as she tilted her head slightly, alert to any menacing sounds.

“Girls?” Kahlan looked inquiringly at her daughters, if anyone would recognize the time they were in it would be the ones that belonged there.

“It does seem like it,” Sarah answered, looking around the familiar room.

“Who’s there?” a sharp demanding voice echoed from somewhere in the library, startling the group.

“We should hide,” Richard hurriedly whispered. “We have no idea who that is,” he looked around for a suitable place to conceal themselves.

“There’s one way to be sure,” Sarah said mischievously and picked up a very heavy and old looking book. “Shall we?” she raised one eyebrow at Alys, watching the girl’s knowing look and confirming nod.

Sarah held the book in both hands and threw the heavy tome at the middle of the corridor, the loud impact in the silent library sounding like a wall had just fallen to the ground.

“Are you mad?” Cara hissed from behind her daughter. “That will lead them right to us!” Cara said but stopped when the voice was heard again, this time even more annoyed and closer.

“Be careful with the books!” the woman’s voice admonished. “These are not to be played with,” she continued, quickly approaching them, now that she could pinpoint their location by the sound.

Kahlan lifted a placating hand at Cara and Richard, who looked like they were going to drag both girls to safety by force. The Confessor looked at her daughters and could see by their smiling and excited faces that they recognized the owner of the irritated voice. Noticing a shadow on the floor, Kahlan knew they would find out in a second, when the woman turned the corner to meet them.

“I have to admit this time I dropped it on purpose,” Sarah said with a wide grin as the annoyed Mord’Sith that appeared in front of them stopped in her tracks and just stared flabbergasted between her and an equally grinning Alys.

“Did you miss us, Berdine?” Alys giggled at the Mord’Sith’s stunned face.

“Girls!” Berdine gasped and opened her arms to hug them. “How did you get here?” she asked, a sigh of relief leaving her when both girls hugged her back.

Before they could explain anything, Berdine noticed the other occupants in the room and quickly pushed the girls behind her protectively. She recognized every single person there, but something was definitely wrong.

“Berdine?” Cara asked with a furrowed brow, looking the woman up and down slowly. 

“You know her?” Kahlan asked her lover, not daring to move and provoke the clearly ready to fight Mord’Sith.

“Yes, we served together,” Cara explained, her mind still trying to understand how her fellow Mord’Sith was in the Wizards Keep of Aydindril, of all places. Even if the girls had mentioned her name before, it was still an odd thing to see.

“Glad to know you know who I am,” Berdine replied, noticeably still not trusting them. “Now please, explain exactly who _you_ are,” she demanded, her hand going to the agiel at her side.

“That’s mom,” Alys said quietly from behind the suspicious Berdine, the girl’s hand resting on the Mord’Sith’s over the agiel in a silent request for the woman to stand down.

“That’s impossible,” Berdine argued with an incredulous shake of her head, her keen eyes never leaving Cara.

“I know,” Sarah said with a sad sigh. “But it is her, just from another time,” she explained. “They traveled here with us from the past.”

“My dear, if I may,” Zedd started in an appeasing way, noticing with curiosity that the Mord’Sith seemed to relax when she looked closely at him. “What the girls are saying is true. They were thrown into a time portal that brought them to our time and by a miracle of the Creator they found us. So, we have been helping them get back here since then,” he finished with a kind smile, hopping to defuse the situation.

“Creator be praised,” Berdine whispered in awe. “We were all so worried about you,” she turned to the girls and cupped their cheeks, appearing convinced that the other adults presented no danger.

“So we did manage to cross to the right time?” Zedd questioned the Mord’Sith.

“You mean you were not sure you had managed to do it?” Cara stared dangerously at Zedd, who just shrugged sheepishly.

“Magic can be unpredictable at times,” he smiled ruefully as Cara pursed her lips and took a deep breath to prevent herself from strangling the old man.

“Yes, this is where, or when, the girls belong,” Berdine confirmed with a curt nod. “We have been trying to find them and bring them back for a long time, but we were never successful,” she revealed with a frustrated sigh.

“We managed to do it,” Alys grinned. “With some help,” she chuckled and looked at the four adults.

“I need to get word out,” Berdine reminded herself. “Guards!” she shouted and they didn’t have to wait long until a couple of Aydindril guards reached them and also stood in shock when they were faced with the girls. “Go to the Mother Confessor and let her know her daughters are safe and with me. I trust you understand the urgency?” she smiled when they both nodded franticly and took off without needing to be told twice.

“Where’s our mother?” Sarah asked, wanting nothing more than to hug her mother as soon as possible.

“She’s out in the field, there’s been a battle,” Berdine replied. “We were hitting dead end after dead end searching for you, attacking the Blood of the Fold was the last resort, so your mother did it this morning. Let me show you,” Berdine explained as she turned to walk through the corridors, the others following her.

“What exactly is the Blood of the Fold’s involvement in all this that prompted her to attack them?” Kahlan questioned, frowning slightly at talking about herself as a separate person, this was going to need some getting used to.

“They wanted to kill them,” Berdine motioned to the two girls walking beside her. “According to those fanatics, the girls should not be the future of Aydindril because of their… extra abilities,” she said vaguely.

“You mean the Mord’Sith magic,” Cara clarified and watched Berdine glance only briefly at her and nod her head.

“Freaks, they call us,” Sarah added, knowing perfectly well what those religious lunatics thought of her and her sister.

“Yes, but you know very well that you should pay no heed to ignorant opinions,” Berdine reminded Sarah. “Neither one of you should,” she added, looking down at Alys.

“The girls weren’t the only ones that went to the past,” Richard said, keeping up with the fast pace Berdine was making them walk. “We met a wizard, Farkas, he wanted to kill Kahlan,” he said and stopped suddenly when Berdine spun around to face him with fire in her eyes.

“That weasel,” Berdine all but spat. “What do you know about him? Where is he now?” she asked, turning again to keep navigating the corridors towards the entrance of the Keep.

“We don’t know,” Richard shrugged. “He kidnapped Alys and after that we never heard from him again,” he explained.

“He what?” Berdine asked, her eyes going wide as she turned to Alys. “Did he hurt you?” she cupped the girl’s chin and seemed to be appraising her for signs of mistreatment.

“Funny you would ask,” Alys started with a smug grin.

“Oh boy, here we go with the boasting,” Sarah sighed and shook her head, knowing perfectly well what her sister was going to say.

“I killed two Mord’Sith and escaped all on my own,” Alys revealed succinctly, intentionally leaving out how much she had cried and the pain they still had inflicted her in that hut.

“Creator help us all, your mother is going to freak out when she learns about this,” Berdine closed her eyes briefly and sighed.

“And that’s not even half of it,” Sarah mumbled and met Berdine’s worried eyes with a sheepish raise of her eyebrows.

“Okay, we’ll have time to talk about this later, let’s just go,” Berdine shook her head curtly and lead them outside the Keep.

Once outside the enormous building, the sun hit their faces and made them squint in the bright light. Kahlan approached the stone balustrade in front of them that marked the end of the plateau the Keep was built on. Two big stone staircases descended from both sides, leading to the city down below, but from this vantage point she could see all of Aydindril, the Confessor’s Palace and the city extending before it. She could also see the various tents surrounding the city on the field beyond the walls and the various soldiers, sporting different colors, that could still be seen on the battlefield. By the movements of the troops, Kahlan could see the battle was already over.

“Look Sarah,” Alys squealed in excitement, jumping up and down and pointing at the Palace that could be seen from there. “We’re home!” she screamed at the top of her lungs down at the city as she came to stand beside Kahlan.

“Yes, we are,” Sarah said with a more contained excitement, putting her hands on her excited sister’s shoulders.

“This is some view,” Cara commented softly as she stood to Kahlan’s other side, looking over the city and also noticing the battle scene on the field outside the city.

Kahlan just nodded and smiled at her lover, squeezing the blonde’s hand in a gesture that was meant to both seek and give comfort. They were both going to face a hard reality here, she had not forgotten that. Kahlan had no idea how she was going to react when she was face to face with herself and even worse, when she was confronted with the lack of an older Cara next to her. Zedd’s voice brought her out of her reverie and she turned to face the wizard.

“How exactly does Farkas fit in with the Blood of the Fold?” Zedd asked Berdine.

“Farkas served in Aydindril once, being part the various wizards that aid the Mother Confessor,” Berdine started to explain. “But his views were always a little, how should I put it, conservative,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “When the Mother Confessor returned to Aydindril, after helping the Seeker seal the rift to the Underworld, everybody was expecting one thing, but they got something totally different,” she smirked and looked pointedly at Cara.

“You mean the Mother Confessor’s partner of choice,” Zedd guessed with little problem and Berdine nodded.

“To put it mildly,” Berdine continued, having the rapt attention of everyone. “Aydindril had prepared to welcome the Seeker and the Mother Confessor with wedding plans, but instead they learnt that the Mother Confessor’s partner was a Mord’Sith,” she said, looking at Cara once again. “A sworn enemy _and_ a woman, who could never help with the most sacred and desperately needed duty of the Mother Confessor, continuing the line of Confessors by bearing children.”

“I bet that was a hard pill to swallow,” Cara commented dryly.

“The problem was that it was never swallowed,” Berdine shook her head and started to descend the stairs towards the city, the others following her once again.

“Farkas amongst the more vehement voices of discord, I assume,” Richard guessed.

“You assume right,” Berdine confirmed. “At first no one dared to voice their displeasure with the Mother Confessor’s choices. She definitely didn’t tolerate that from anyone,” she said with smirk. “But things turned gradually south when Sarah was born,” she said and pulled the teen to her by the shoulders, both of them sharing a soft smile that should be weird on a Mord’Sith’s face but in this case it wasn’t.

“Was it the majority of the people that didn’t approve of me and Cara?” Kahlan questioned, furrowing at the thought of having her people against her in this matter.

“No, definitely nothing even close to that,” Berdine assured. “Once you both established yourselves here and they got to know Cara and see her work with the army, all of the initial reservations were forgotten,” she said. “But there were always some rats on the ship,” she twisted her nose in displeasure.

“Excuse me, the army?” Cara questioned with raised eyebrows.

“The Mother Confessor made you Commander of the Midlands army,” Berdine explained, chuckling at Cara’s shocked expression. “You made various changes around here over the years, the troops appreciate the order and discipline you brought to the ranks.”

“But when Sarah was born…” Zedd prompted, bringing Berdine back on track.

“With the birth of our oldest princess here,” Berdine said affectionately, looking at Sarah. “And especially since she started to exhibit some very peculiar and very Mord’Sith like powers, some ill whispers of what that would mean to the line of Confessors started to rise. Farkas being the most active in spreading these misgivings, half of it being nonsense to pollute the minds of people and turn them to his cause,” she said with a disgusted curl of her lip.

“I’m guessing from your face that his cause didn’t exactly have the… _purity_ of the line of Confessors at its heart,” Cara said as they reached the end of the stairs and paused in a loose circle on the road.

“Of course not, weasels like that concern themselves with their own private goals, not the well being of the masses,” Berdine replied. “What he truly wanted was power,” she revealed. “He wanted to rule Aydindril in the place of the Mother Confessor.”

“And used the girl’s heritage as something that could be seen as threatening to the Confessors’ line,” Zedd mused, the pieces coming all together. “Thus, giving him leverage to start a revolt against Kahlan,” he finished.

Before Berdine could reply to the wizard, the sound of hooves was heard fast approaching. They looked down the road to see men from the Home Guard galloping at high speed in their direction; at the front, a figure dressed all in white could be seen searching the streets franticly.

“Mommy,” Alys whispered when she recognized the leading rider. “Mommy!” she screamed and felt Sarah pull her by the hand to run towards the horses.

“Alys! Sarah!” the Mother Confessor of Aydindril shouted and dismounted her horse hurriedly, running to meet her lost daughters. “My babies,” she whispered with relief and gratefulness as she finally hugged them both. “Thank the Creator I have you back,” she cried openly, not able or wanting to hold in her emotions as she squeezed both her daughters in her arms.

“We missed you so much,” Sarah whispered, tears running down her face as she embraced her mother, the one she had known all her life.

“I missed you too, sweetie,” Kahlan smiled brightly, cupping her oldest daughter’s cheek tenderly and kissing her forehead with devotion. “My heart bled every second of every day I spent without you two,” she said and bent down to place several kisses on Alys’s cheeks until the girl stopped crying and giggled instead.

“Mother Confessor,” Berdine called for the ruler’s attention as she approached the very pleased trio.

“Berdine,” Kahlan breathed with a smile. “How did you find them?” she asked curiously.

“I didn’t,” Berdine replied and turned to look back at the very stunned four faces that stood in shock closer to the stairs. “ _They_ brought the girls here,” she revealed, pointing at the group and watching the Mother Confessor’s face turn from extremely happy to suspicious in a blink of an eye.

“Who are you?” the Mother Confessor questioned, her eyes piercing a younger version of herself as she instinctively tried to shield her daughters.

Of course she recognized every one of those faces, but she was having a hard time believing how that could be possible; what were the odds of her daughters meeting the younger version of herself right when they needed her. Hardened by all the schemes she had faced until now, she couldn’t rule out the possibility of this being a trap. 

“She’s you, Mother Confessor,” Berdine supplied with a little amusement in her voice.

“No,” the white clad ruler said, approaching her look alike carefully. “I want to hear her say it,” she demanded, her eyes fixing familiar blue’s, searching for the truth.

Kahlan was speechless as she watched this regal woman approach her, Alys and Sarah trailing curiously behind her. She recognized her own features, how could she not, but she could see a lot of differences. This woman was clearly older than her, some barely noticeable lines at the corner of her eyes betraying that. She also stood somewhat taller, obviously having mastered the regal pose of the Mother Confessor for many years and it became even more part of her now. The hair was still long and wavy, but it had more curls and it was clearly well maintained, a few braids adorning it in a style that made her stand out in any crowd. Knowing she was being scrutinized for the truth, Kahlan replied without hesitation.

“It’s true,” Kahlan confirmed with a smile. “I am you,” she nodded, not letting her eyes waver. “And they are exactly who they look like they are,” she added, motioning to her companions.

“How is that possible?” the Mother Confessor said absentmindedly as she assessed her younger version.

“Same way we met them in the first place,” Sarah said next to her mother, motioning to the others. “Time travelling,” she shrugged.

“I figured that,” the older Kahlan said. “I meant how is it possible that you girls found them?” she clarified, walking towards the other three and eyeing them curiously, but not suspiciously anymore.

“Actually, they found me,” Alys told her mother. “I was so happy when I saw them, I almost blurted everything out right there and then, but I remembered Zedd’s lessons about how that could do more harm than good and-” she trailed off when she noticed her mother staring at Cara.

The Mother Confessor stared for a long time at the blonde Mord’Sith, studying every little detail about the woman, details she had committed to her heart but she hadn’t seen in a long time. Like the careful curiosity she could see in the narrowed green eyes, she hadn’t been on the end of one of those looks for a very long time now. Noticing how the blonde was starting to feel unnerved with her stare, she couldn’t help but smile fondly at the younger version of the love of her life.

“I’m sorry for staring,” the older woman eventually said, still looking at Cara. “This is just beyond unexpected.”

“Don’t worry, the feeling is mutual,” Kahlan replied with a smile, still in awe.

“How much do you know about my daughters?” the Mother Confessor asked, her head tilting curiously as she looked between Cara and Kahlan.

“Everything,” Kahlan chuckled. “We know Cara is their other mother,” she confirmed, guessing that this was what the older woman was fishing for.

“And that doesn’t surprise you?” the Mother Confessor asked, trying to assess the dynamics between the group without asking directly.

“At first it did, it’s not exactly a common thing to happen,” Kahlan said. “But once the girls explained, it really just made us happy,” she said and looked back at Cara, sharing a warm smile with the blonde.

The Mother Confessor watched this interaction between the two women and didn’t need to ask anything else to know the two were already involved with each other. Glancing at a relaxed Richard, she smiled, knowing the Seeker had already come to terms with their relationship too. Good, that saved them a whole lot of awkwardness. Her eyes shifted inevitably back to Cara. As she looked nostalgically at the blonde, it was like having her memory materialize in front of her.

“We can imagine how painful this is to you,” Zedd said in a lamenting tone, looking from an increasingly uncomfortable Cara to the Mother Confessor still holding her daughters close to her.

“Painful is an understatement,” the older woman said, frowning slightly as Zedd kept looking from her to Cara with something akin to sorrow. “But I have my babies back with me again, so everything will be okay,” she smiled, combing through Alys’ hair.

“Not everything,” Sarah whispered, her tearful eyes glued to the floor.

“I don’t want you to go,” Alys said sadly as she looked at Cara, leaving her mother’s side to throw her arms around the blonde in a tight hug and burying her face in the Mord’Sith’s leathers. 

“Baby girl?” the Mother Confessor frowned and approached both blondes to comfort her daughter.

In this moment, a horse at full gallop ran behind Kahlan, who was watching her older self with Cara and Alys. Distracted with the scene in front her, Kahlan noticed too late as a rope looped over her head and tightened around her chest, effectively binding her arms to her torso and yanked her away, her body hitting the ground with force as she was dragged behind the galloping horse.

“Kahlan!” Cara shouted, already moving to follow the horse.

“You’re mine now, Mother Confessor,” Farkas turned back with a feral grin, watching his prey drag in the dirt road behind his horse, knowing not a single one of them was fast enough to catch him now.

But as soon as the wizard turned his head forward again, his eyes widened in terror when he noticed a horse galloping right at him in the opposite direction and who exactly was on the saddle. Before he could react in any way, an agiel hit his face with murderous force, sending him flying back off the horse and hitting the ground with a sickening cracking sound.

“Kahlan!” the new rider yelled while dismounting the horse and hurrying to lift Kahlan off the ground.

“Cara?!” Kahlan whispered in disbelief, looking dumbly as the long-haired blonde lifted her back to her feet with utmost care. She looked older, her features not that different but with enough subtleties for her to notice the changes; but there was no mistake, this _was_ Cara.

Cara just stared dumbly at the woman she had just saved from a very nasty ride down the road. Leading the group that was tasked with hunting Farkas, she had been ridding at full speed towards the Wizard’s Keep in his pursuit, the magic map in her possession marking the exact spot where the wizard was. When she took the last turn on the road, she watched in horror as Farkas galloped in the opposite direction and snatched Kahlan up. From then on, she saw red and simply reacted. But now, looking closer at the woman in her arms she could see something was not quite right; Kahlan looked different and seemed astonished to see her, as if Cara being there was impossible. With a low angry groan, she turned towards the fallen wizard on the ground.

“Whatever you’ve done to my wife, you’ll fix right now!” Cara yelled as she picked the stunned wizard by the collar and punched him in his already bloody face. “Or I’ll kill you and bring you back so many times you won’t know the difference between being alive or dead anymore,” she spat through clenched teeth, her eyes blazing with murderous intent.

“Cara, wait!” the Mother Confessor shouted, running towards her enraged wife. “I’m okay, I’m here,” she said and had to suppress a laugh at Cara’s shocked and confused expression, as she almost gave herself whiplash from looking between the two Kahlans.

“What? How?” Cara confusedly said, grabbing her wife’s hands to reassure herself it was indeed her. “You better start explaining,” she said to her wife, looking warily at the younger Kahlan.

“Before I explain,” the Mother Confessor smiled enigmatically. “Look behind me,” she said, watching the blonde frown in confusion.

“Mom?” Sarah’s broken and trembling voice immediately caught Cara’s attention.

The group was standing still a few paces away, having run after Kahlan in an attempt to free her from the wizard, but had stopped once Cara appeared seemingly out of nowhere and blocked the wizard’s escape. Sarah and Alys had been frozen ever since their mother dismounted and went to aid a fallen Kahlan, they looked like they couldn’t believe their own eyes and were afraid to blink and have her mother disappear.

“Mom!” Alys cried finally, bringing both girls out of their stupor and ran to leap into her mother’s arms, Cara catching her as the little girl’s arms and legs wrapped around her torso. Cara smiled tearfully and squeeze the little blonde tightly with one arm while she pulled a stunned Sarah into her side, her hand cupping the back of the brunette’s head as the teen cried on the crook of her neck.

“I got you,” Cara reassured both girls and herself too. “It’s okay, I got you now,” she repeated in a soothing tone, placing comforting kisses on both girl’s heads. 

“I thought you were dead,” Sarah said between sobs. “You died in my arms, I saw it,” she mumbled confused.

“Hey kid, look at me,” Cara said, brushing the teen’s hair from her face and bringing the girl close so their foreheads rested together. “You saw it right, I did die,” she nodded and before she could elaborate her youngest daughter intervened.

“Then how are you here?” Alys hiccupped, still crying and clinging to her mother for dear life.

“Raina brought me back,” Cara explained, placing another kiss on Alys’ head.

“Raina?” Alys frowned, finally lifting her head from her mother’s shoulder. “But she was at the hearings with mommy when I left, how did she get to the Keep in time?” she wondered in between sniffles.

“I’m always closer than you think, little princess,” Raina chimed in with a smile, coming from behind Cara after dismounting her own horse. “You were taking too long on your sneaky excursion and I went to search for you,” she clarified. “Regrettably, I didn’t reach you in time to prevent Farkas from taking you, but I got there in time to give your mom the Breath of Life,” she winked at a stunned Alys.

“I was never as happy as that day for Raina’s overprotectiveness,” the Mother Confessor said, moving to check on her younger self but stopped and smiled when she saw a young Cara already at the woman’s side, frowning worriedly at the gashes being dragged on the road caused.

“So, who are they?” Cara asked, looking distrustfully at Richard and Zedd, that were both slowly approaching. “What do they want?” she glanced sideways at the younger Kahlan she saved and at the woman that looked like herself.

“Cara, ease up, they’re on our side,” Kahlan told her wife calmly. “They’re us,” she reminded with a smile.

“How can you be sure?” the long haired blonde rebuked, clearly not ready to trust anyone. “It could be one more of that wizard’s tricks!” she said, glancing sideways at Farkas, still lying in pain on the ground.

“Because I asked her,” the brunette answered, looking at Kahlan. “And I can see she’s not lying.”

“You can read them,” Cara accepted, looking at Kahlan and at the two men. “But you can’t read her,” she pointed out, motioning to an alert Cara.

“No, I can’t,” the Mother Confessor conceded. “But if she was an impostor or not herself in any way, she could never fool her,” the brunette pointed out with a challenging smile, motioning with her head to her younger self while she had a staring contest with her wife.

“Fine,” Cara eventually said, not failing to notice how everyone let out a sigh of relief. “But we need some answers,” she said, watching her wife nod in agreement.

A gasp of pain brought everyone’s attention to the wounded Kahlan and before anyone else could speak, the same voice was heard in sync from two different people.

“Zedd!” both Caras shouted at the same time, clearly meaning for Zedd to do something about Kahlan’s wounds.

“I see some things will never change,” Zedd laughed good naturedly, as both blondes looked at each other awkwardly.

“Just shup up and help her already,” the younger Cara said hurriedly, glaring at the wizard in annoyance.

“It’s okay, it’s not that bad,” Kahlan attempted to assure the irritated blonde with a smile, but Cara just huffed and pouted in annoyance until Zedd finished healing the wounds.

“Aww Cara, look at baby you,” Raina said in amusement. “So cute with the pouting,” she teased, but pursed her lips when her Commander just glared at her stoically.

“What did you just call me?” Cara looked up from Zedd’s work and took a menacing step towards Raina, her hand already pulling out one agiel.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down,” the Mother Confessor put herself in between both Mord’Sith and put her hands on Cara’s shoulders, in an attempt to dissuade her from attacking the teasing Raina. “Don’t mind Raina, she doesn’t mean to insult,” the older brunette explained, smiling when Cara met her eyes and quickly backed down.

“Oooh, she’s wiped already,” Raina quipped. “Looks like it started even earlier than I thought,” she commented, not bothered at all that Cara had taken the agiel out again, clearly intending to struck her this time.

“Stop,” the older Cara said with authority, looking warningly at Raina, who gave her a curt nod. “Both of you,” she looked warningly at her younger self, pleased when the woman seemed to back down. 

“She has always been too sassy for her own good,” Cara drawled and sheathed her agiel, clearly remembering Raina’s tendency to just blurt out the most inappropriate things from the time they had served together.

“And don’t you forget it, sweet cheeks,” Raina winked at a peeved Cara.

“Raina, leave her alone already,” Berdine said calmly, smiling when Raina shrugged dismissively but didn’t say another word.

“That’s the only person in the world that can shut Raina up,” the Mother Confessor whispered conspiratorially to a younger Cara. “If anyone is wiped, it’s Raina herself,” she winked, making Cara chuckle softly.

“Good as new,” Zedd announced when he finished healing Kahlan. “Can’t say the same about him,” he said, motioning to Farkas as the wizard was dragged to his feet by two other Mord’Sith, blood running from a broken nose.

“He will get a lot worse than that,” Cara hissed, rubbing Alys’ back reassuringly. “Take him away,” she ordered with an icy tone.

“This is not over,” Farkas said stubbornly, trying weakly to free himself form the Mord’Siths’ grasp, but hissed in pain when he tried to move his limp arm, probably broken from the fall. “I will-“ he was silenced when Raina violently struck him with the back of her hand.

“What will you do? Use your magic against us?” Raina asked with a fake sweet smile. “Please do,” she challenged and chuckled when the wizard glared at her for a second, but ended up lowering his eyes. “I didn’t think so.” 

“Take him to the dungeons,” the Mother Confessor ordered. “His friend should be there by now, they can keep each other company until I decide their fates,” she said and watched as the Mord’Sith carried the wizard away.

The Mother Confessor turned to her wife and smiled when she noticed Alys still clinging to her mom.

“We should go to the Palace. Can I put you down now?” Cara asked Alys and smiled when the girl just shook her head. “Aren’t you the one who insists you’re a big girl now and I’m not allowed to carry you around anymore?” she teased lightly.

“I don’t care,” Alys mumbled, hugging her mother tighter and burying her face on her neck.

Cara and Kahlan shared a tender look, knowing their youngest needed the extra comfort.

“Mom will carry you all the way home, okay baby girl?” Kahlan caressed her daughter’s hair and smiled when the girl just nodded with a sniffle.

“We’ll need more horses for them,” Cara told Raina as she motioned to the visitants from the past.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Zedd hurried to say. “We won’t be staying,” he explained but noticed that Raina didn’t even look at him and was already talking to a guard about fetching more horses.

“I wasn’t asking,” Cara looked him in the eyes as she helped Alys get on her horse.

Zedd looked closely back at this Cara and noticed, not without some apprehension, that her reply was not meant as a sarcastic comment at him, like it usually was. This Cara was indeed not asking, she was ordering them all to go with them to the Palace. Zedd understood in that moment that this was not the woman he was used to travel with, this was the Commander of the Midlands army; and one look at Kahlan next to her, watching him as if daring him to disagree with her wife, also reminded him that this was the Mother Confessor, ruler of Aydindril. So, he nodded his head in agreement; it wouldn’t be advisable to contradict either of them.

“No, really, there’s no need for us to go,” Richard insisted, failing to notice Cara’s slow intake of breath. “We just wanted to make sure the girls got here okay, we shouldn’t stay any longer,” he explained, looking proudly at his grandfather for abiding by his wishes for once, but frowned when Zedd just stared at him while shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

“You’re not in charge here, Richard, I am,” Cara said, mounting her horse behind Alys. “If I’m telling you you’ll go to the Palace with us, you _will_ go,” she said slowly, fixing the Seeker with an unwavering stare that held a veiled threat behind it.

“It will be our pleasure to go,” Kahlan intervened, much like Zedd, sensing that Cara’s older self was not giving them an option. “We’ll be right behind you,” she said as she looked at her older self.

“We just need some answers,” the Mother Confessor said reassuringly and smiled at her younger self, trusting the woman would be the best to understand that Cara was not reacting out of malice, but out of carefulness and worry for her daughters.

“Here are the horses,” Raina called as some guards approached with the requested animals. “Still not enough, but I guess you two can share, right?” she said insinuatingly at a short haired Cara, who was clearly not as amused with her as her older self normally was.

“Yes, thank you,” Kahlan was quick to reply when she noticed her lover roll her eyes at the Mord’Sith.

“You’re very welcome,” Raina replied with a slight bow of her head, making Cara even more annoyed with this obvious show of respect to Kahlan when all she was getting were jabbing remarks. “What about you princess? Want to share with me?” she asked Sarah with a genuine warm smile.

“Definitely not,” the Mother Confessor shook her head as she circled her daughter’s waist and pulled the teen to her in a side hug. “She will be riding with me,” she smiled and kissed the brunette’s cheek.

“Let’s not waste any more time then,” a younger Cara said as she mounted one horse and extended one hand to help Kahlan up.

“She’s scarier than you,” Richard whispered to Cara as he approached them after mounting his own horse, clearly referring to the blonde’s older self.

“And here we were thinking she couldn’t get any worse,” Kahlan said with a teasing grin, circling Cara’s waist with her arms.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Cara smirked, making Richard and Kahlan chuckle.

“No, it’s not,” Kahlan agreed with a grin as Richard spurred his horse ahead of them. “And can you guess what else is definitely not a bad thing?” Kahlan whispered in Cara’s ear.

“Me being alive?” Cara whispered back while she turned to look at Kahlan’s watery eyes. “I guess that’s not half bad either,” she said teasingly before Kahlan kissed her sweetly. Her being alive after all just proved that one really could not predict what the future had in store, even knowing about it beforehand.

They took off in the direction of the Palace, the retinue of guards and a few other Mord’Sith trailing behind them. Their main objective was complete, they had gotten the girls safe and sound to their parents, but now said parents looked like they needed some answers. Cara could understand that need and was happy to comply, not like Richard that didn’t get the hint as fast as the rest of them. Her older self had been perfectly clear when she ordered them to go to the Palace, but the Seeker didn’t seem to notice. Another thing she was sure he didn’t notice, was the dismissive way in which the older blonde had addressed him. Her older self didn’t show him any deference and didn’t address him as Lord Rahl, she sounded like she was merely talking to a foot soldier. Richard hadn’t noticed, but she certainly did and she needed to know why. 

********************

When they arrived at the Palace, the Mother Confessor guided the group to a large room, where they all could talk without being interrupted. They sat down on the divans that were arranged in a way that formed a small spot clearly meant for lounging.

“I noticed some D’Haran soldiers on the way here, not to mention that I’m sure this place has never seen so many Mord’Sith,” Cara asked as she sat down in front of the older version of themselves. “What are they doing here?”

“The D’Harans came here with Lord Rahl,” Cara addressed her younger self, as she circled Alys’ shoulders when the girl sat next to her and snuggled up to her side. “He answered our call for help and came to aid us in fighting the Blood of the Fold,” she explained, glancing at her wife, that was sitting next to Alys.

“Who is the Lord Rahl?” Richard asked curiously, taking a seat on a leather covered stool next to Cara.

The Commander of the Midlands army just smirked at him amusedly, but before she could answer the door opened and Lord Rahl entered the room, his red and gold armor with two R’s on the chest leaving no doubt to who he was.

“So much for not wanting to be Lord Rahl,” Cara whispered teasingly at a stunned Richard next to her, understanding now her older self’s amused expression.

“Girls!” Lord Rahl called happily as soon as he spotted Sarah and Alys next to their mothers.

“Uncle Richard!” Alys shouted back and got up to meet the armor-clad man in an embrace as he kneeled to hug her. “I missed you,” she said with a happy smile.

“I missed you too,” Richard replied as he tickled the giggling girl. “And you…am I wrong or do you seem taller?” he said to Sarah as he got up and hugged the brunette tightly.

“A lot of things happened and some things did change,” Sarah chuckled, returning the man’s hug. “But I don’t think extra inches are a part of it,” she shook her head in amusement.

“Something did change, I can see it,” Richard said, piercing her with his knowing eyes. “You may not be taller, but you certainly are more confident,” he said surely, grinning when Sarah raised her brows in agreement.

“Come meet our guests, Richard,” the Mother Confessor invited with a smile. “They are the ones who brought the girls back from the past,” she added, waiting to see her friend’s reaction to said guests.

“No way,” Lord Rahl shook his head in amazement as he looked at the people the brunette was referring to.

“I think we are more surprised than you are,” Richard said with a grin, getting up and extending his arm to his older self in greeting. “I would never expect to see myself dressed like that,” he said, motioning to the colors of the house of Rahl the other man was proudly wearing.

“Give it time,” Lord Rahl said with a chuckle as he gripped Richard’s forearm amicably. “You’ll warm up to it,” he grinned enigmatically.

“How about you girls tell us about what you have been through?” the Mother Confessor asked, tucking a lock of hair behind Sarah’s ear as the girl sat back down next to her. “We want to know all about it,” she continued while she turned to her other side to kiss Alys’ cheek.

“Sarah spent her first days there in a Mord’Sith temple,” Alys said before anyone else could speak, not really noticing how her mothers’ eyes immediately widened in shock and apprehension.

“Why would you lead with that?” Sarah said exasperatingly to her sister, unlike the blonde girl, she didn’t fail to notice her mothers’ reaction to the news.

“Because it was badass how you tricked them all!” Alys said excitedly. “You also confessed some, even that one that attacked you in the bath. Although, I don’t get why she would choose to attack you naked and unarmed, doesn’t seem to me like the most effective way to go about it,” the girl shrugged, unaware of the awkwardness she was creating. “But you ended up confessing her too, right?” she continued unaffected, making her sister blush beet red. 

“Please, someone kill me now,” Sarah mumbled with a groan, rubbing her eyes with her fingers.

Her sister’s words, although unintentionally, sounded like something very different from a fight had happened in that bath. Chancing a glance at her mothers’ apprehensive expressions she could bet they were imagining the same scenario.

“Oh, way to go princess,” Raina piped in cheekily, with an insinuating and congratulatory look at the teen, but quickly cleared her throat as she noticed Cara looking dangerously at her. “The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree,” she added, smirking as Cara only took a deep breath and ignored her comment.

Cara looked at her daughter’s red face and cleared her throat. The picture painted by Alys immediately made her think how exactly her daughter could have confessed that one naked Mord’Sith and that was definitely an image she did not want in her head. Raina’s insinuating comments didn’t help matters.

“How…” Cara started after clearing her throat again, but was quickly interrupted by Sarah.

“With my hands on her throat!” Sarah said exasperatedly, not really looking anyone in the eye. “That’s how I confessed the Mord’Sith in the bath and all the others, naked or not. Like one normally confesses someone,” she added awkwardly.

“How… did you get inside the temple to begin with? That’s what I was going to ask,” Cara said after an awkward pause. “But that’s good to know,” she added, clearing her throat yet again. “And what happened in there that made you kill them?”

“I was just defending myself, okay?” Sarah explained. “Those women were constantly trying to provoke me and they took every opportunity to do it, even in the bath. But I know how to take care of myself, not a single one of them managed to touch me,” she explained, still feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. “Not that they didn’t try,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes as she heard Raina laugh.

“Raina,” the Mother Confessor admonished kindly, noticing that Cara was about to hit the amused Mord’Sith over the head any minute now.

“I’m sorry Mother Confessor,” Raina apologized with a sincere look at Kahlan. “This is just too amusing,” she said looking meaningfully at Cara, enjoying how her leader and friend was most certainly in the middle of a freak out.

“Enough about this,” Kahlan said pacifyingly, not wanting to prolong the awkward conversation.

“Sarah only confessed them because they were trying to hurt her,” Alys said with a frown, defending her sister.

“If they were trying to hurt you, then they deserved to be confessed,” Raina told Sarah seriously, but a smirk repapered on her face a second later. “Although, the ones that had the _opposite_ intention in mind would have met the same fate.”

“RAINA!” Cara shouted with an incredulous look at her friend.

“Sorry Commander,” Raina said sheepishly. “I’m just so glad to see that the girls are okay, I can’t help myself. I think I lost my filter,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Because you normally have one?” Berdine replied with a light chuckle. “You better find a filter fast, if you want to keep your head on your shoulders,” she said warningly, shaking her head when Raina’s only answer was a shameless grin.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Sarah,” Cara sent one last warning look at Raina and addressed her daughter with a worried look in her eyes.

“What question?” Sarah asked, hopping the awkward conversation would end.

“How did you end up in a Mord’Sith temple?” Cara repeated.

“When I jumped into the portal, I ended up outside of a temple,” Sarah explained, shifting in her seat to face her mothers better. “I was a little disoriented and the Mord’Sith managed to catch me and bring me inside. At first, they didn’t believe me when I told them I was a Mord’Sith, but then they had a wizard come in and attack me with wizard’s fire. Once I deflected it, they were convinced and I also got to see that the wizard was Farkas. So, I decided to stay there, blend in and find out if he was keeping Alys there.”

“Where were you when Farkas attacked you?” Cara asked, her brow furrowing. “How come he didn’t recognize you?” she asked suspiciously, already dreading the answer.

“I was in a room, with just a couple of other Mord’Sith,” Sarah replied, glancing quickly at her sister. “And I was lucky, I guess, my hair must have been on my face or something. He never expected to find me there, so he probably didn’t pay much attention. I was just another prisoner,” Sarah shrugged dismissively.

“If I remember correctly about Mord’Sith interrogation techniques, and I do, you were probably chained to the ceiling in that room,” Cara said, tilting her head contemplatively. “And the reason Farkas wasn’t able to recognize you had more to do with said techniques’ consequences than with luck. _What_ did they do to you?” she insisted, looking directly in her daughter’s eyes.

“Nothing mom,” Sarah huffed. “They just poked me around a few times with an agiel, it was nothing,” she shrugged again, avoiding her mother’s eyes.

“Those wounds you had when you found us didn’t look like nothing,” Alys said as she frowned at her sister, knowing that the teen was not telling the whole truth, but not understanding why.

“Those were from sparring matches,” Sarah said matter-of-factly and rolled her eyes.

“They hurt you in there,” Cara said with a certainty that came from experience.

“No one hurt me, they believed I was just a Mord’Sith, like any one of them,” Sarah said smugly. “They even learned to respect me,” she added with pride, her smug smirk widening.

“Sarah, look at me,” the Mother Confessor got her daughter’s attention and held her eyes for a moment. “Are you lying to us?” she asked calmly, knowing there was more to this than her daughter was sharing.

“Why do you ask? Can’t you tell?” Sarah challenged her mother, her expression never changing.

As soon as these words left Sarah’s mouth, not a sound could be heard from any of the occupants of the room. The Mother Confessor looked from her daughter to her younger self, sitting in front of her, and closed her eyes with a resigned sigh when the woman just mouthed a _‘sorry’_ to her.

“Okay sweetie, you got it, I’m not be able to read you with my power,” the Mother Confessor admitted, much to Sarah’s satisfaction. “Despite that, I always know when you’re lying or hiding something,” she added with an amused smile, watching Sarah’s smug expression shift to one of confusion. “You see, you and your mom share a lot of traits, one of them is trying to pass smugness and bravado for honesty. Unfortunately for you, none of you can pull it off when it comes to me,” she revealed with a chuckle.

“How about me?” Alys questioned. “Can you read me?”

“For now, I can,” Kahlan told her youngest daughter, chuckling at the girl’s disappointed look. “But if what happened with your sister happens with you too, it won’t be for much longer,” she revealed.

“Yes!” Alys celebrated before she could stop herself. “Not that I would ever lie to you,” she backtracked quickly, glancing at Sarah worriedly who just rolled her eyes at her.

“You just did,” Cara said with a small smile, brushing her daughter’s hair out of her eyes. “And I don’t even need powers to know that,” she said, making the girl smile sheepishly.

“Back to the matter at hand, though,” the Mother Confessor started, bringing everyone’s attention back to her. “Tell us how you ended up meeting our daughters,” she said and looked at her younger self, clearly wanting her to tell them about it. The brunette hadn’t forgotten about Sarah’s time in the temple, but by the teen’s reaction, this was clearly something she would have to address in private with her oldest daughter.

Before Kahlan could start though, the door opened again and Zedd walked in. Surprisingly enough, he was the one that didn’t look that much different, the years didn’t seem to touch him like they did the others, unless you noticed that he did walk with more difficulty. Like Richard had done before him, his first priority was to embrace the two girls that had been lost to them for so long and who he had tried relentlessly to find. Only after reassurances from both of them that they were okay, did the wizard look at the four occupants of the room that did not belong there.

“How is this happening?” the old wizard asked flabbergasted, looking at the younger versions of them. “This is highly unadvisable, not to mention that is extremely dangerous and can have unknow repercussions. They can’t be here!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” the Zedd next to a younger Richard huffed. “But try telling them that!” he said, pointing at his younger companions.

“Right, I see the problem,” the old wizard nodded, sharing a knowing look with is younger self. “Oh well, since you’re here you must tell us what happened with the girls? How did you meet?”

“That’s what they were trying to do before you interrupted us, wizard,” Cara said slowly, making her wife chuckle next to her, and stared at Zedd until the wizard mumbled something intelligible and sat down with his arms crossed, seeming ready to hear the tale.

“We were on the road, looking for the Stone of Tears, when we found out that a man had been confessed, a slave dealer,” Kahlan started after everyone looked at her expectantly.

“You ran into trouble with slave dealers too, besides Mord’Sith?” the Mother Confessor asked Sarah, assuming her oldest daughter had been the one responsible.

“Sarah wasn’t the one that confessed him,” Kahlan shook her head and looked at Alys.

“What?” the Mother Confessor blanched, knowing perfectly well that Alys had never confessed anyone before and how this must have shaken the little girl. “Oh, baby girl,” she said as she pulled the little blonde into a hug. “Are you okay?” she asked, cupping the girl’s cheeks to look into her eyes.

“It was kind of scary, but I’m fine now,” Alys assured her mother with a smile.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, sweetie,” the older woman said as she kissed the blonde’s forehead. “I know that had to be difficult.”

“Well, in a way you were,” Alys said and looked at Kahlan, who smiled gently at her. “Not exactly the same, but she helped me deal with it.”

“Why did you confess him?” Cara asked her daughter, knowing that since it was the first time the girl released her power it must have been a reflexive action, which meant the girl was in danger. 

“He was going to hurt me,” Alys told her mother, watching as the woman took a deep calming breath. “I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but when I realized what I had done, I told him to be good and he never bothered me again. Then I met them,” she said, motioning to the adults sitting opposite her. 

“We went to investigate who had confessed that man and we met Alys,” Kahlan continued. “She didn’t disclose much about herself, but as we talked and asked questions, we eventually figured out she was my daughter and had came from the future,” Kahlan revealed with a smile.

“So, you didn’t know she was mine too?” Cara asked, combing her fingers through Alys’ hair; the way the girl immediately leaned into her mother again showed that the gesture was clearly something the woman did often.

“I’m sure you can imagine why that wasn’t our first conclusion,” Kahlan chuckled at the older Cara while the woman nodded in understanding.

“Although, looking back now, by the way she talked and behaved we should have known sooner,” Richard said teasingly, making the others nod in agreement, except Cara, who just rolled her eyes, but the small smile hinted at her amusement.

“But instead, you thought you were my father,” Alys giggled, looking at a blushing Richard, who was trying to avoid everyone’s eyes.

“I’m sure that wasn’t awkward at all,” Lord Rahl said sarcastically, looking with sympathy at his younger self as the man scratched the back of his neck.

“Eventually, we worked it out,” Kahlan assured, looking at this older version of Richard and smiling at how at ease he seemed; he evidently had come to terms with being the Lord Rahl and she was sure he used the title wisely.

“I did have a hand in it, but not in the common way,” Lord Rahl revealed with a chuckle.

“Eww, gross uncle Richard,” Sarah protested, making the others laugh.

“What do you mean by that?” Richard asked curiously.

“You girls didn’t tell them?” the older man asked and watched both girls shake their heads. “What I mean is that I was the one that did the ritual so they both could conceive their daughters,” he explained, smiling at the gratitude this subject always brought to both his friend’s eyes.

“The girls only told us that a powerful spell, one from Panis’ hidden collection had been used in their conception,” Kahlan explained, her hand resting on Cara’s thigh next to her. “But they never told us who had cast it. Wait, does that mean you have your wizard powers back?”

“Yes,” Lord Rahl confirmed. “How I got them is a story for another time, but I’m glad I did. If I hadn’t gotten them back, I would never be able to perform that ritual, since only exceptionally powerful wizards are able to do it.”

“That’s an amazing gift you gave them,” Kahlan said in awe, but not surprised, Richard was the kindest man she had ever known.

“I would do anything for them,” Lord Rahl smiled gently as he looked at the women that more than friends, were his family. “I’m just glad I was able to make it possible. We were blessed with two amazing girls, who I couldn’t love more if they were my own,” he said kindly, winking at the sisters.

“So, how did you find out they were Cara’s too?” the Mother Confessor asked curiously.

“It took us a while,” Kahlan said with a chuckle. “Even when we met Sarah, we still had no idea. We easily figured out she was Cara’s daughter because that face doesn’t fool anyone,” she grinned as the others laughed. “And Sarah ended up confirming it unintentionally when she denied it and thought I had known she was lying,” she added, grinning when the teen groaned in frustration as they recalled that moment.

“So that’s how you figured out I can’t read you,” the Mother Confessor guessed with a smile, looking at her oldest daughter.

“Since I always thought you could read me, I just told the truth,” Sarah confirmed to her mother, who was looking at her sympathetically. “I should have let her talk first though, because then she told me she couldn’t read me,” she huffed, still not believing how she had dug that hole for herself.

“You would have found out eventually,” Cara told her oldest daughter with a shrug. “It did last longer than we thought it would though,” she grinned at her wife, who nodded in return, while Sarah just stared at them both unamused.

“For a while we thought Alys was mine and Sarah was Cara’s, which came with the kind of complications and misunderstandings Zedd warned us about when it comes to knowing our future,” she sighed and looked at Cara, the pursing of the blonde’s lips letting her know the blonde too was thinking about their doubts about their relationship. “It was only when Sarah entered the Con Dar that we put two and two together, and in the upset state she was in she ended up revealing everything.”

“Con Dar?” Cara asked in shock, looking between Sarah and Kahlan.

“When Farkas threatened Alys I snapped and entered the Con Dar,” Sarah told her mothers who were looking stunned at her. “After that, it was a whole mess that ended up with aunt Dennee imprisoning me in the Palace’s dungeons and wanting to kill me,” she explained succinctly.

“We never knew if you had the ability to enter the Con Dar,” Kahlan said pensively, caressing her daughter’s cheek. “I guess now we do,” she said with a sigh. “What did he do to your sister that made you that angry?” Kahlan asked, her hands closing into fists in anticipation of the answer.

“He was holding Alys hostage, demanding she traded her life for Alys’,” Sarah explained, looking at the younger Kahlan. “When I entered the Con Dar, he made the smart move of vanishing with Alys instead of facing me,” she explained. “He told us he was taking Alys to Aydindril, so I just took off and entered the city by force, which didn’t make aunt Dennee very happy, so she knocked me out and imprisoned me.”

“And Dennee’s plan was to kill you?” the Mother Confessor asked, raising her brows when Sarah nodded.

“She didn’t though, she changed her plan,” Cara intervened, bringing the older women’s attention to her. “She killed me instead, but the kid brought me back with the Breath of Life,” she said with a grin at the absolutely shocked faces of their older selves.

“My sister killed _you_? And Sarah gave you the Breath of Life?” the Mother Confessor asked doubtfully. “Are you both lying to me just to test me? Did you plan this to amuse yourselves?” she questioned, looking between Sarah and Cara with amused suspicion.

“Although that does seem like something they would do,” Kahlan said, glancing between Cara and Sarah, who just smirked at her. “Unfortunately, they are telling the truth,” she confirmed, watching her older self sober up and look at Cara worriedly.

“How exactly did my sister managed to kill you?” the Mother Confessor asked, still finding this strange.

“Because Cara let her do it,” Richard replied with a grin. “She let Dennee confess her to _clarify some things_ , as she put it,” the Seeker explained.

“You _let_ my sister kill you?” the Mother Confessor asked Cara, her expression going from worried to irritated. “And as if that wasn’t bad enough, you let her do it by _confessing_ you?” she continued, her voice raising in volume.

“Yes,” Cara simply said, not really able to maintain eye contact, this woman managed to be even more stern than Kahlan; it looked like the brunette improved her scolding skills with age.

“Are you aware that you were extremely lucky?” the Mother Confessor continued with a deep frown. “Sarah was never able to give the Breath of Life before.”

“I knew that,” Cara replied before thinking, sighing when she watched the Mother Confessor grow even angrier at her words.

“You’re mad,” the older brunette said in disbelief with a shake of her head.

“You know what?” Cara replied peeved. “I already got one of these lectures, I don’t need another one.”

“Is that so?” the Mother Confessor said, looking at Kahlan for confirmation, which the younger woman gave her in the form of a nod, not looking amused either with this subject. “Good, because you certainly deserved one,” she said and turned to look at her wife. “How many times are you going to die on me?” she asked, the sensitive subject making her vent in frustration.

“Don’t look at me like that, I have nothing to do with this,” Cara replied at her wife. “I remember as much of all this as you do,” Cara reminded the irritated brunette, although she understood the woman’s frustration.

“Silver lining, mother,” Sarah said with a careful smile. “I can give the Breath of Life, that’s great news,” she said, trying to appease her still distressed mother.

“Yes, I guess so,” the Mother Confessor conceded, sparing one last annoying look at Cara. “And the Con Dar? Looks like your powers are growing with you.” 

“You should have seen it mommy, it was so cool!” Alys said excitedly, again not noticing the chastising looks she was getting from her mothers. “Farkas was holding a knife to my throat, all smug and taunting us, and suddenly Sarah’s eyes went all black and she got really intense. Made Farkas pee a little in his pants, I bet; then he puffed us out of there before Sarah could reach us,” she finished with a nod, but paused when her mothers clearly weren’t finding this as amusing as she was. “What?”

“That’s not something I would describe as _‘cool’_ ,” the Mother Confessor said, looking pointedly at her youngest daughter. “Where did he take you?” she questioned the girl.

“He took me to this cabin in Aydindril’s woods. He held me there, chained to wall, a Rada’Han around my neck and two Mord’Sith guarding me,” Alys explained, looking between her worried mothers. “But I didn’t give up!” she grinned proudly, looking pointedly at Cara.

“I see you listen to me when I talk, after all,” Cara smiled at her daughter with a raised eyebrow. “So, who got you out of there?” she asked.

“No one!” Alys grinned. “I got out of there all by myself,” she said proudly, watching her mothers frown at her in puzzlement.

“How exactly did you manage that?” Cara questioned, pondering all the obstacles her daughter would have faced in order to escape.

“I killed the Mord’Sith and ran,” Alys said quickly, as if it was a simple thing to do.

“How did you confess them if you had a Rada’Han on?” Kahlan wondered with a frown.

“She didn’t, she pissed them off and goaded them into a fight instead,” Sarah clarified, busying herself with picking at her nails.

“You provoked them?” Cara asked, her eyes widening as she tried to decide if she should be proud or angry at the girl’s recklessness, probably both.

“You know that’s a skill she’s particularly good at,” Sarah reminded her mother, sticking her tongue out at her sister and mouthing _‘payback’_ when the girl glared at her.

“Alys Mason Amnel, you deliberately provoked two Mord’Sith into a fight you knew there was little chance of you winning?” the Mother Confessor said slowly, rubbing her forehead to calm her nerves.

“I fight Mord’Sith all the time!” Alys protested. “I fight mom, Raina and Berdine almost daily,” she justified, trying to avoid what she knew would be a reprimand from her mother.

“The difference being that our goal is to teach you,” Cara reminded her daughter, while the girl pouted. “And theirs was to kill you.”

“You’re the one who’s always saying that we should never give up and fight for ourselves,” Alys pointed out, refusing to back down. “So, as you can see, I only did what I was told,” she smiled a little too sweetly.

“She sure has a way with words,” a short haired Cara snorted in amusement.

“Yes, she’s a very clever girl,” Cara drawled sarcastically, her eyes never leaving her daughter’s, who was quickly losing her bravado and becoming increasingly uneasy under her mother’s stare. “However reckless it might have been, I have to admit you did the right thing,” she nodded slowly, as if still considering her words. “And when your mother stops having a heart attack, she’ll agree with me,” she continued as she looked at her wife.

“You say that like you’re not having one too,” the Mother Confessor shot back, glaring sideways at her wife. “You just hide it better,” she pointed out as her wife tilted her head in silent agreement. “But your mom has a point. Even if what you did, what you _both_ did, has me at the verge of a heart attack, you also showed that you were brave and resourceful. I’m proud of you both,” she finished with a smile, hugging both girls to her.

“They saved our lives, you know?” Kahlan informed them. “Sarah brought Cara back with the Breath of Life and Alys protected me from wizard’s fire when Farkas attacked me,” she revealed.

“Farkas managed to get to you?” Cara asked concernedly and at Kahlan’s nod she turned to her younger daughter. “But you deflected the wizard’s fire?” she guessed, smiling when Alys just grinned proudly and nodded.

“I don’t know how much more I can hear about the apparently multiple times you girls were in danger before I _really_ have a heart attack, but I guess I owe you a thank you, that was a really courageous thing to do,” Kahlan said and kissed Alys’ forehead. “How were your hands?” she asked with a frown.

“They got burnt, but Zedd helped and they got back to normal in no time,” Alys explained as her mother took her hands and inspected them nonetheless with a deep frown. “If you owe me a thank you why do you look like you’re going to ground me?” she asked worriedly.

“I’m not going to ground you and I’m proud of what you did,” the Mother Confessor told her daughter with a sigh. “That doesn’t mean that I’m comfortable with it. I never want you girls to get into arms way,” she explained, brushing the blonde’s hair back.

“Then you’re not going to want to know I also stopped a dacra from stabbing uncle Richard in the face,” Alys smiled carefully, as her mother’s eyes widened once more.

“And you _really_ don’t want to know how she got stabbed with a dacra on her back,” Sara grinned mischievously.

“Spirits, what _didn’t_ happen to you two during these days?” the Mother Confessor shook her head in disbelief.

“Its fine, mommy,” Alys dismissed her mother’s concerns. “We dealt with it,” she shrugged.

“You’ve _dealt_ with it?” Kahlan asked, sharing an amused look with her wife.

“Sure! Mommy, you have to face it,” Alys sighed and turned to look at her mother with a serious expression. “We’re growing up.”

At this remark, nobody in the room was able to hold their laughter. Kahlan took a moment to look at the family sat together in front of her as the girls teased their brunette mother. Kahlan smiled to herself as she noticed that the four of them seemed really happy together; she could see the relief in the women’s eyes and the happiness radiating from the girls. Kahlan turned to look at Cara next to her and felt a giddiness in her stomach; she couldn’t wait to experience every minute of her future with Cara and the family they were going to build together.

********************

After they all talked more about the time the girls spent in the past, the Mother Confessor asked for the midday meal to be served. As they ate, they continued to share information. They talked about Farkas’ plans, the part the Blood of the Fold played in said plans and what the possible consequences of all this may be. They continued to trade little anecdotes of what had passed between them and the girls in the past, amusing everybody with how both girls managed to avoid telling them the truth in many creative ways. While Alys was making everyone laugh at how she had tricked Cara and managed to kiss her on the cheek when they first met, Kahlan addressed her older self.

“Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?” Kahlan requested her quietly. “Alone, it’s a private matter,” she added, looking around.

“Of course,” the Mother Confessor acquiesced with a small frown of curiosity. “Let’s go to the office,” she smiled comfortingly, glancing at her wife and sending her a reassuring smile when the blonde looked at her questioningly. 

The Mother Confessor watched with amusement as Kahlan walked anxiously in front of her. She let the nervous woman to her musings, knowing that she knew her way around the Palace. Once they got inside her private office, the older woman closed the door gently and waited for her younger self to collect her thoughts.

“So, what did you want to ask me?” the Mother Confessor prodded gently, sensing the nervousness of the other woman.

“It’s about Cara,” Kahlan started with a deep breath. “There’s something I need to know and due to the nature of the subject, I’m not comfortable with bringing it up with just anyone,” she said, licking her lips nervously. “And here I have an amazing opportunity to clarify it with…myself, so I have to take advantage of it.”

“I see,” the older woman smiled, already having an inkling to what this was about. “You can ask me anything you want,” she encouraged.

“Why can’t I confess Cara?” Kahlan blurted out, her cheeks reddening. “When we are intimate, I mean. We found out, after a stupid accident nonetheless, that she’s not affected by my powers at all. I can’t confess her. I didn’t lose my power, I feel it like I always have, but it doesn’t affect _her_ ,” she said quickly, pacing nervously from one end of the office to the other.

“I suspected that was what you were going to ask,” the Mother Confessor chuckled gently. “The fact that you can’t confess her, has nothing to do with your power and everything to do with Cara,” she said, but at Kahlan’s confused look she continued. “Cara’s love for you is greater than confession, there’s no magic in this world that can make her love you more than she already does,” she explained with a bright smile.

“I know she loves me, but to overthrow confession?” Kahlan said in awe. “That’s insane, not to mention unheard off,” she shook her head.

“I don’t know if it’s unheard of or if it happened before and was kept quiet for some reason that I really never cared to wonder about,” the Mother Confessor said calmly. “But the truth is none of that matters,” she shrugged. “The only thing that matters is that her love for you could not be greater and trust me, it will only grow,” she said with a knowing smile.

“Cara actually told me that, you know?” Kahlan said with a chuckle. “After we… realized that she couldn’t be confessed, I was racking my brain for an explanation and hers was that she just loved me so much already that confession had no affect on her,” Kahlan shook her head in disbelief. “I will never hear the end of it when I tell her she was actually right,” she rubbed her forehead with a resigned sigh.

“That I can confirm,” the Mother Confessor laughed. “To this day she brags about how she managed to beat confession and her simpler answer trumped my ‘tendency to complicate everything’,” she explained, knowing by how Kahlan nodded along with her words that the younger woman had probably also heard all this before.

“So, I don’t need to worry about confessing her, ever?” Kahlan asked again, looking for confirmation.

“No, that will never happen,” the Mother Confessor shook her head and smiled reassuringly.

“That’s really good to know,” Kahlan grinned and sighed in relief. “Sarah and Alys are really great girls,” she mentioned, changing the subject. “You should be proud, you did an amazing job with them,” she complimented.

“We have our ups and downs, like any other family raising two girls and one of them being a teenager,” the older woman smiled and shrugged meekly. “But I’ve come to realize that as much as the way we raise them has an impact on who they are, at the end of the day they are their own person, you know?” she pondered.

“I think I know what you mean,” Kahlan nodded. “I had a little taste of parenting these days I spent with them and sometimes I felt myself at a loss with something they would say or do, it showed me that they are not just going to do exactly what we tell them to,” she said pensively. “Especially Alys, she would come up with some things that we never expected to hear a child say and took us all by surprise,” she elaborated with a small laugh.

“Yes, well, my Alys is a master at bending words to her benefit,” the older woman grinned.

“I bet she gets in a lot of trouble for that,” Kahlan guessed. “Sarah doesn’t seem like she gives you half the trouble.”

“You’re right about one thing, Alys does get in a lot of trouble that usually starts with her opening her mouth,” the Mother Confessor agreed. “But it’s the kind of trouble we can usually see coming,” she added. “Alys is very talkative and when she doesn’t like something, she doesn’t shy away from letting us know by protesting and arguing until she can either change our mind or exhausting us into giving in,” she explained with humor. “But Sarah… she doesn’t talk much and that ends up being a lot more troublesome.”

“What do you mean?” Kahlan asked curiously.

“When Alys is upset or angry, she’ll tell us,” the Mother Confessor started. “When Sarah is upset or angry, she’ll show it.”

“Like throwing tantrums, you mean?” Kahlan asked, not sure if she was understanding fully what the other woman meant.

“No, more like finding ways to do whatever she wants anyway,” the older brunette chuckled. “Of course she knows she has to obey us and there’s rules to follow, and she does, always has, but if following those rules go against her own conscience, she’ll choose to follow her conscience and deal with the consequences latter,” she explained further.

“Sounds like someone I know,” Kahlan chuckled, thinking about her blonde lover.

“Yes, probably why Sarah and Cara sometimes clash so much,” the Mother confessor nodded. “Sarah has always been very emotionally independent, even when she was a little girl,” she mused. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s very affectionate and she has a strong bond with us, but she always needed her own space, she always needed to process things in her head first before asking anyone for help or comfort.”

“When she thought Cara was dead here, she never said anything about it to any of us, not even Alys,” Kahlan revealed, remembering how the teen had never told them about her mom’s death, even when she tried to make her open up when she had been so clearly upset about something. “She thought she could fix it, but when Zedd told her it wasn’t possible, only then did she unburden herself and told us all about it. But until then, she suffered alone the loss of her own mother.”

“Sounds like my Sarah,” the older woman smiled sadly, the impossibility of being there for her daughter in that difficult time hurting her despite her knowing it was impossible. “She probably wanted to spare Alys the pain too; she protects her little sister as fiercely as she sometimes argues with her,” she said with a good-natured roll of her eyes.

“Oh, they can bicker all right,” Kahlan nodded emphatically, recalling the many times she witnessed the girls argue avidly with each other.

“We’ve learnt to stay away from their fights,” the Mother Confessor said. “We only intervene when blood shedding looks like a possibility,” she said, sharing a laugh with her younger self.

“I can see many similarities between them, but they are also very different from each other,” Kahlan mused. “Alys is very impulsive and easy going,” she continued. “Sarah is a lot more serious and seems to think three times before doing or saying anything.”

“Despite Alys being a lot more impulsive and reckless, Sarah is a lot more dangerous exactly because she’s quieter and thinks a lot before doing something,” the Mother Confessor replied.

“Alys said that one time Sarah managed to fool everyone and flee Aydindril,” Kahlan said questioningly, watching the other woman nod.

“That’s a very good example of how we had to be a lot more careful with Sarah,” the Mother Confessor said with a sigh. “One day I took her to visit some villages nearby Aydindril. I wanted her to have contact with a different reality than the city. Sarah must have been around Alys’ age actually. We spent the day talking with various people and every child wanted Sarah’s attention, they kept asking her to go play with them,” she chuckled, as she remembered how the kids tried to lure Sarah into their games. “I encouraged her to go and she just nodded and left with the group of kids. I was pleasantly surprised because, although she is very social, Sarah always preferred to play alone or with some selected friends, she was never one to run around with a bunch of kids she didn’t know, much unlike her sister, who just runs along with anyone willing to get into mischief,” she chuckled fondly. “So, I wasn’t that surprised when I found out she ditched the kids pretty quickly and I ended up finding her sitting behind a cabin with a girl around her age. I discovered that the girl had recently lost her mother to a disease and Sarah was just sitting there, comforting the crying girl,” she smiled thoughtfully.

“That’s was really sweet of her,” Kahlan commented.

“It was, but when I told her we had to leave she refused and asked me to spend the night there, so she could help her new friend,” the Mother Confessor continued. “Of course I couldn’t just leave my daughter there or stay there for the night, I told her that the girl would eventually be alright and we needed to go back home,” she explained. “If it were Alys, there would have been an argument, she would have cried and I would have needed to drag her home, but Sarah just stared silently at me for a second, went back to hug her friend, whispered something in her ear and marched in front of me to our carriage.”

“Seems to me like she was pretty reasonable,” Kahlan said, but raised her brow wen her older self just pursed her lips and took a deep breath.

“That same night, Sarah tried to convince Cara to take her to the village so she could see her friend again,” the Mother Confessor continued. “Cara tried to appease her, telling her they would go there again another day and she could talk to the girl, but no one would be leaving the Palace just so she could visit her friend,” she explained. “Sarah just did the same thing she did with me, she didn’t insist, she just went silent and looked like she accepted our decision.”

“She escaped from the city, didn’t she?” Kahlan said, recalling what Alys had told them and watched the other woman nod at her. “How come no one stopped her?” she asked in amazement.

“She left her bedroom and told the guards she encountered in the corridor that she woke up from a nightmare and was going to sleep in her mother’s room, so they let her go,” the Mother Confessor said. “She hid whenever she encountered someone and, when she got the chance, jumped inside the baker’s cart that leaves the city to bring fresh bread and pastries to the villages,” she told a stunned Kahlan. “She got to the village, found the girl’s house and entered through her bedroom window. When the girl’s father found Sarah and his daughter both asleep a few hours later, he panicked when he recognized her. By then, Cara had woken up and the guard on duty asked her how Sarah was, since she seemed frightened enough the night before to go sleep with her mothers. This immediately put Cara on alert because Sarah wasn’t with us and she rarely wanted to sleep with us; she liked to cuddle in our bed, play and giggle, but when sleep made itself known, she always preferred to sleep on her own bed, her own space. By the time we were both leaving the Palace to go look for her, that girl’s father was at our door, both girls with him and swearing he had no idea how Sarah got to his house.”

“Spirits, you must have been so worried,” Kahlan emphasized. “Why did she do something dangerous like that?”

“Because she made a promise,” the Mother Confessor replied with a chuckle. “She had promised that girl that she would bring her a doll to help her get through the pain of loosing her mother, apparently that’s how she got over the pain of loosing a puppy she once had,” she explained.

“But to go through suck great lengths,” Kahlan frowned. “Anyone could have brough the doll to that girl,” she reasoned, still amazed that Sarah managed to pull off something like that with no fear of what could happen to her.

“But Sarah was the one that made that promise,” the older woman clarified. “She told me that she couldn’t sleep knowing that that girl would suffer more because she didn’t do what was right, what she had committed to do.”

“So her conscience is her moral compass, then?” Kahlan smiled.

“Definitely,” the Mother Confessor agreed. “Or as she likes to say, ‘if she sleeps well at night, it means she did the right thing’,” she chuckled.

“I see now how Sarah could be a lot more trouble than Alys,” Kahlan said, her eyes widening in understanding.

“Yes, but with age she lost most of that recklessness,” the Mother Confessor replied. “She’s still very stubborn and doesn’t bother with arguments she knows will take her nowhere, but now she does it in a more responsible way,” she clarified. “Being my first born, also means she’s next in line to be Mother Confessor one day, and she takes that duty very seriously. She absorbs every lesson and every training, always looking to better herself. But when she is sure she is right or she’s doing the right thing, not even me or Cara can dissuade her.”

“She’s a force of nature already,” Kahlan said contemplatively. “I can only imagine what she will become.”

“You and me both,” the Mother Confessor smiled. “And my little Alys is a tornado on her own right. Also, I think she’s the only person in this world who can make Sarah change her mind once it’s made up,” she mused with a fond smile. “Sarah claims it’s because it’s easier to cave than to have Alys nag at her until she does, but I know that to Sarah, her sister’s opinion is already more important than anyone else’s.”

“The bond between them is obvious to anyone who spends two seconds with them,” Kahlan pondered, having noticed how the girls had a particular way of communicating with each other. “Alys really looks up to Sarah.”

“She does, she idolizes her older sister. And Sarah doesn’t want to let her down, ever. She sees herself as a role model to her little sister,” the Mother Confessor agreed with a fond smile. “That doesn’t prevent Alys from being furious with Sarah sometimes, but she truly adores her.”

“As long as there’s no bloodshed, right?” Kahlan chuckled.

“You think I’m saying that figuratively, but I’m not,” the Mother Confessor warned. “One time, Alys was so mad at Sarah for something I don’t even remember anymore, that she punched her sister in the face hard enough to split Sarah’s lip,” she recounted as Kahlan lifted her hand to her mouth to cover a gasp.

“Oh wow,” Kahlan exclaimed, trying not to laugh. “What did Sarah do to her after that stunt?”

“Absolutely nothing,” the older brunette shook her head with a smile. “As much as she threatens Alys, she never once struck her sister in retaliation,” the Mother Confessor revealed.

“Because Alys is younger than her?” Kahlan guessed, but frowned when the older woman shook her head.

“No, because she can do a lot worse,” the Mother Confessor grinned. “She waited for dinner, until we were served these delicious little pastries that we only get once in a while, and she snatched Alys’ pastry right from under the poor girl’s nose and ate it,” she said as they both laughed.

“I see Sarah doesn’t forget easily,” Kahlan chuckled.

“No, in that she’s nothing like Alys,” the older brunette said as her laughter died down. “Alys is very reactive, she’ll kick and scream, but eventually she lets things go. But Sarah, she’s always plotting two steps ahead and waits for the chance when she can do the most damage,” she explained as Kahlan raised her eyebrows impressed. “And trust me, having her pastry stolen hurt Alys more than any punch Sarah could have dealt her.”

“Poor Alys,” Kahlan cooed. “That must also make her constantly wary of her sister.”

“Actually, in a way it’s good for Alys,” the Mother Confessor replied with a tilt of her head. “It forces her to be less impulsive and pause to think about ways to gain the upper hand, so as to avoid being played by Sarah all the time.”

“Seems like they play off of each other pretty well,” Kahlan mused. “And for that to happen, the bond between them has to indeed be a strong one,” the younger brunette continued.

“Yes, I think the bond between them is stronger than we even realize,” the Mother Confessor pondered. “And I hope it stays like that for the rest of their lives,” she smiled and looked pensively at her younger self for a moment. “Can I tell you something I never told anyone, not even Cara?” she asked carefully.

“Of course,” Kahlan nodded, her curiosity being peaked. “Anything.”

“I think Alys’ personality is how Cara would have been if she hadn’t been broken by the Mord’Sith,” she confessed, looking at a pensive Kahlan, who was obviously pondering this too. “Alys is impulsive, witty, fearless, intelligent, cunning and loves with all her heart, but she is all this with no reservations, no fear of getting hurt or mistrust from anyone,” she explained. “Cara had those reservations forced on her by the Mord’Sith and it became a part of her, a part that suits her and indeed makes her stronger, especially now that she can reconcile all of what she is and feels. So, when I look at Alys, I can’t help but wonder if that’s the part of Cara that never suffered through torture.”

“I see what you mean and I think you have a point,” Kahlan agreed, musing about it herself. “I certainly never talked about this with Cara, but I caught myself a couple times wondering about the type of person she would have been had she not been a Mord’Sith,” Kahlan revealed. “But it’s still something hard for me to imagine, because I see her grow every day; being Mord’Sith is part of who she is and lately she doesn’t let that hold her back from changing for the better,” she explained and looked at the other woman to see if she understood what she meant.

“I know what you mean,” the Mother Confessor nodded. “She is definitely the bravest person I know; not because she rushes into a battle without flinching, but because she let herself be vulnerable to all the emotions she once had bottled up and taught to be weaknesses and instead successfully reconciled the woman and the Mord’Sith inside her.”

“We were really lucky to find her,” Kahlan smiled as the other woman smiled back and nodded in agreement.

“We should go back to the others,” the Mother Confessor said. “I’m looking forward to hear more of the adventures my daughters went through,” she smiled.

“Are you happy?” Kahlan asked before they could leave.

“Extremely happy,” the older woman replied with utmost sincerity, her smile widening. “I feel…fulfilled,” she clarified and with one last smile, turned to open the door of the office.

Kahlan smiled at this response. She was already so happy with Cara that she couldn’t imagine that that feeling could grow even more. But, apparently, it would.

********************

Cara watched her wife leave with the younger Confessor for a moment and turned to look at her own younger self, chuckling to herself when she noticed that the woman was already staring at her. Taking this opportunity, she got up and motioned for the blonde to follow her.

“Sarah had a rougher time in that temple than she was letting on,” Cara said without preamble, when the younger blonde reached her in a corner of the room. “She said she dealt with it, but I know my daughter and this has to be bothering her; it couldn’t have been easy, even with her tolerance for pain,” she continued, looking back at the others around the table, still laughing and trading stories, which left her and the younger blonde with some privacy to talk. “How bad was it?”

“Bad, they did a number on her. She was in a really bad shape when she found us,” Cara revealed, watching the older woman grit her teeth. “I think she was being evasive with you earlier because she doesn’t want to worry you with how much she suffered in there. And she certainly doesn’t want Alys to know about the gory details.”

“I know that,” the older woman nodded pensively. “Sarah is not the most forthcoming person when it comes to sharing what bothers her, but eventually she’ll open up. Kahlan, especially, won’t rest until she does,” she said with a small smile. “I just… hate that she had to endure something like that. That’s probably one of my worst nightmares,” she revealed with a sigh, knowing the other woman understood her perfectly.

“I get it. It’s truly unfortunate that she ended up outside a temple when she crossed the portal,” Cara empathized with the older woman. “But I don’t think the physical pain was what troubled her the most in there,” she added.

“What do you mean?” the older woman frowned.

“Earlier today, when she thought she was never going to see you again,” Cara started, as the other woman sighed. “She came to me with questions about how Mord’Sith were made and how they lived,” she explained, noticing a knowing look on the older woman. “I’m not sure how Richard is dealing with it now, but it wasn’t exactly a peaceful and hurt free environment, and Sarah seemed… shocked by it all.”

“Richard goes about it in a different way, as you might imagine,” the older Cara started. “Mord’Sith now get their powers from magic and combat training,” she explained. “It’s still an extremely rigorous training, that still starts at a young age, but there’s no torture and they’re not children, only willing young women.”

“I see,” Cara nodded pensively. “Makes even more sense that Sarah would be so shaken by what she went through in that temple. Not just the torture, but all the power struggles and dynamics between them,” she clarified, as the older woman nodded along thoughtfully. “But as I was saying, what troubled her the most was how you could have turned out the way you are having grown up in that environment,” she explained, noticing a small smile appear on the other woman’s lips.

“What did you tell her?” the older blonde asked curiously.

“Since I had no idea how I would be in twenty years, I only spoke of my experience. I told her Kahlan was the one that made me think about things differently,” Cara replied as she shrugged. “But Sarah and Kahlan both ended up ganging up on me and telling me Kahlan only nudged me in a direction I was already heading.”

“Looking back, I’m inclined to agree with them,” the older woman nodded. “But Kahlan and the girls certainly turned my world upside down,” she mused with a smile.

“The girls’ birth…changed you?” Cara asked, not really sure how to put into words what she wanted to know.

“It did, without a doubt,” the older blonde confirmed. “Let me give you an example you’ll understand,” she continued, looking directly at the younger woman’s eyes “Do you feel the bond to Lord Rahl?”

“Of course I feel the bond,” Cara furrowed in confusion. “Why? You don’t?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“I feel a faint thing, like a ghost of what it once was,” the woman said contemplatively.

“How is that even possible?” Cara’s frown deepened in disbelief.

“Because I feel a connection far greater than the bond to the house of Rahl,” the blonde explained, watching amusedly as her younger self tried to understand.

“No Mord’Sith has ever lost the bond,” Cara shook her head, still not quite understanding how this was possible.

“No Mord’Sith has ever had a family of her own,” the older woman pointed out, giving the blonde time to ponder it. “When you came back as a baneling, why did you do it?” she asked, trying to make the other woman understand using as an example something she knew she had already been through.

“I had to protect Richard, help him with the quest,” the younger blonde replied almost automatically.

“Hmm,” Cara smiled knowingly. “You can lie to everyone, including a Confessor, but you can’t lie to me, I’m you, remember? I’ve lived what you lived,” she said, watching her younger self shift uncomfortably. “Now, it’s just the two of us here, who was the first person that crossed your mind when you woke up in the Underworld?”

“Kahlan,” Cara said sincerely.

“Kahlan,” the older blonde nodded, as if that name alone explained everything. “The weakening of the bond didn’t happen overnight, it took years, but it started earlier than I first realized and without me consciously knowing,” the older blonde explained. “Kahlan started it, the girls finished it.”

“So, the bond you have with them,” Cara said, looking back at the girls. “Replaced the bond you had to the house of Rahl?” she tried to clarify.

“Exactly,” the older woman smiled, watching her younger self contemplate this with surprise. “I’m loyal to Richard because he’s my friend, not because he is Lord Rahl,” she further explained. “I guess I ended up doing what he always asked of me, after all,” she chuckled.

“I did wonder why you talked so dismissively at him earlier,” Cara revealed, thinking back at the way this woman reacted when Richard didn’t want to accompany them to the Palace.

“Were he anyone else, he would have gotten an agiel to his gut,” the older women smirked. “I don’t like to have my orders questioned.”

“I don’t think he even realized you were ordering us to go with you,” Cara raised her brow. “He can be a little clueless sometimes.”

“Yes, surprising trait in the Seeker of Truth,” the older woman quipped and they both shared a small laugh.

“Hmm…” Cara started hesitantly after a moment of silence between them.

“The answer to your question is ‘yes’,” the older woman replied, smirking at the other blonde’s confused expression.

“I’m not even sure what I was going to ask, how can you know?” Cara challenged, but her eyes squinted in curiosity.

“You want to know if I’m happy,” the older woman started confidently. “If being in Aydindril, home of the Confessors and far away from D’Hara, makes me happy. If being in a role of leadership, instead of serving someone, is a role I’m comfortable with,” she continued, noticing the younger blonde never contradicted her. “If the life I have is one I chose or if it’s one I endure just to be with Kahlan and the girls. Am I close?” she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You’ve articulated my thoughts better than I think I would,” Cara conceded with a chuckle. “And your answer to all that is ‘yes’?” she questioned as the other woman nodded.

“I have a better life than I ever imagined or hoped for,” the blonde said with a sincere smile. “A life I never even knew I wanted until I got it, with a purpose chosen by me, where I make my own decisions and have unconditional support from the people I love,” she continued, the smile only growing. “A life with Kahlan, that gave me a family that is everything to me,” she finished, looking at her younger self in the eyes and knowing she had not only answered all the unasked questions of the woman, but had also put some lingering fears to rest.

Cara stood still, considering what the older woman told her and couldn’t think of anything else to say. Her older self seemed to realize this and just gave a curt nod, accompanied with a knowing smile, before turning to go back to the table, leaving her alone to ponder this information. Cara followed her with her eyes, watching the woman approach her daughters and both girls beam up at her, the smiles they shared testimony to the happiness of having been reunited. Turning to the door, she saw Kahlan walk back in, the Mother Confessor walking beside her as both talked amicably. Once Kahlan noticed her, she watched as she excused herself and joined her, instead of following the older brunette to the table.

“What are you doing here all by yourself?” Kahlan asked gently, brushing blonde hair out of Cara’s face.

“I was just talking to her,” Cara said as she motioned to the older blonde that was currently sitting back at the table.

“Did she tell you something that upset you?” Kahlan questioned with a small frown, getting a little worried by Cara’s quiet mood. “Please tell me it’s not bad news?” she pleaded with an almost imperceptible whine in her voice.

“No, no bad news,” Cara quickly assured her lover, taking one of the brunette’s hands and bringing it to her lips, placing a soft kiss on the even softer skin. “I think that’s why I’m a little dazed, I guess I’m more used to bad news,” she shrugged and at Kahlan’s raised eyebrow she explained. “She told me she’s happy and that life has given her everything she could have asked for and more.” 

“I can relate to you then,” Kahlan replied with a knowing smile. “I just had a similar conversation with much the same revelation,” she told the blonde, recalling how happy her older self seemed.

“I just never thought I would be happy, you know?” Cara mused as Kahlan nodded understandingly. “I was always certain I would die young in some battle, fighting in the name of Lord Rahl.”

“But turns out you fight in your own name instead,” Kahlan finished the thought, lifting her hand to caress the blonde’s cheek.

“You mean I fight in _your_ name,” Cara corrected, leaning into the touch and kissing Kahlan’s palm gently, her eyes never leaving the brunette’s.

“That too,” Kahlan agreed. “But I think it’s more than that. I’ve been noticing subtle things and I think they both share the power in Aydindril,” Kahlan explained, looking back at the older women that were happily hearing their daughters’ stories. “This is not like it’s in our own time, where I’m the sole ruler in Aydindril; I think they share a lot of responsibilities,” at Cara’s questioning look, she explained further. “There’s never being such a thing as a Commander of the Midlands army,” she pointed out and smiled when Cara’s eyebrows rose in understanding.

“I attributed the way she was giving orders to a personality trait,” Cara smirked as Kahlan chuckled. “But looking at it from your perspective, I think you’re right,” she nodded, recalling what little the older woman had told her about her role in Aydindril. 

“Talking about being right, I have something to tell you,” Kahlan started, placing her hands on Cara’s shoulders. “It’s about our little conundrum with confession,” she hinted as she let one hand trail down to Cara’s chest, where she could feel the silky skin beneath her touch.

“You asked her?” Cara questioned with excitement in her voice as she threw a quick glance at the older Confessor.

“I did,” Kahlan nodded. “And she gave me an answer,” she continued cryptically and pursed her lips.

“So?” Cara prompted curiously, finding Kahlan’s reluctant demeanor strange.

“I’m not sure I want to tell you,” the brunette sighed dramatically and rested her forehead on Cara’s shoulder.

“I was right, wasn’t I?” Cara said smugly while Kahlan just groaned. “Who would have thought, the simplest answer turned out to be the right one,” she kept teasing the brunette as she hugged her close to her, patting her back in a mock soothing manner.

“Spirits, you’ll never let me hear the end of this,” Kahlan complained as she lifted her head to face a very pleased Cara. “But yes, you were right. Turns out, your love for me is indeed greater than confession,” she revealed, trying to sound disappointed but the radiant smile on her face betraying her true sentiment.

“Can you say that again, please?” Cara requested, the grin never leaving her lips.

“Your love for-“

“No, the other part,” Cara interrupted the brunette, her grin turning mischievous.

“You were right,” Kahlan deadpanned with a roll of her eyes as Cara laughed.

“I do like the sound of that,” the blonde nodded and kissed Kahlan’s pout away.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Kahlan asked rhetorically as she circled her lover’s neck and pulled her into a longer kiss.

“But I like the sound of me loving you so much that you can’t confess me even more,” Cara said softly against Kahlan’s lips before kissing the brunette once again.

“Me too,” Kahlan smiled happily, ending the kiss but pecking her lover’s lips multiple times. “I’m so lucky to have found you,” she smiled as she looked into shinning green eyes.

“So am I,” Cara replied gently. “So, do you want to get out of here for a while and put the theory to the test?” she said seriously, but with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Kahan said as her eyes widened and she glanced at the others. “If we leave this room, I bet everyone will suspect what we are up to,” she whispered admonishingly, her cheeks reddening at the thought. 

“I was kidding,” Cara smiled and kissed the brunette’s red cheek soothingly. “I just enjoy seeing you all flustered,” the blonde grinned deviously before kissing a stunned Kahlan one last time and pulling the brunette along with her to join the others at the table.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> So, this is it, last chapter. It’s the biggest chapter I’ve written so far, but since I don’t write the scenes in a linear way, I wanted to make sure I got to address everything I wanted, because I already knew this was going to be the last chapter of the story. I just didn’t plan for the writing to get away from me, but that’s hardly a surprise anymore, that’s how this thing started in the first place. And since I had it all written already, it didn’t made sense to me to cut it in two, so I’m just posting it all.   
> I wanted to thank everyone that read this fic and also thank you for the feedback you guys gave me as I wrote, it was really encouraging and helpful. I know there’s people that fist read the fic many years ago, when I first started it, and are picking it up now again, to them I apologize for having taken so long to finish it when I promised I would. But, hey, I do keep my promises!   
> I hope everyone enjoys the end of the adventure! If you feel up to it, let me know what you thought about it in the comments, those always warm a writer’s heart!   
> Abraços

“What are you looking at, you perv?” Kahlan teasingly whispered in her wife’s ear when she caught the blonde looking at their younger selves kissing in the far corner of the room.

“As if you weren’t doing the exact same thing,” Cara rolled her eyes good naturedly and whispered back with a grin. “It’s just surreal to look at, you know?” Cara pondered as her wife nodded. “I mean look at me, I look like a love-struck puppy,” she chuckled amusedly as she looked at the younger Cara.

“I’ve always told you I could melt you with my kisses,” Kahlan kept teasing, placing a sweet kiss on her wife’s cheek.

“I’m well aware of the effect your kisses have on me,” Cara smiled back knowingly. “I just never thought it could be so obvious to everyone else,” she pointedly looked back at the younger women, who were clearly too wrapped up in each other to notice anything else.

“Aww, my poor baby,” Kahlan cooed and caressed her wife’s thigh under the table. “Thinking she always looked so tough, when in reality she just looked so cute,” she grinned in anticipation, knowing perfectly well how Cara would receive her words.

“I didn’t say anything about cute,” Cara turned sharply to face her wife with a warning look, suspecting by the widening of Kahlan’s grin that this was just the reaction her wife was hoping to obtain. “But you have a point,” she conceded reluctantly. “I guess I always thought myself to be quite stoic, it never crossed my mind that it was so clear on my face how much I love you,” she said gently as her scowl turned into a sincere smile.

“Even when you’re being stoic it’s always clear to me how much you love me,” Kahlan captured the blonde’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Your eyes tell me everything I need to know, always,” she smiled and leaned in to share a kiss with her wife.

“So, what do you plan to do next?” Zedd questioned the older women, unknowingly interrupting them as his eyes were still on his plate. “About Farkas, I mean,” he clarified lifting his head and noticing Kahlan and Cara finally joining the others at the table.

“Both Farkas and Eratos will have a trial,” the Mother Confessor replied, the carefree smile she wore while talking to her wife fading into a small frown. “I don’t have much to ponder, I’ve known for a while what their sentence was going to be and to be honest I want it over with as soon as possible,” she assured and looked at Cara, who gave her a curt nod and squeezed her hand in support.

“I hope you’re talking about killing him and not just confessing him,” a younger Cara said with a tilt of her head. “Because I think if you don’t do it, I will,” she promised, a predatory smirk making itself known.

“You won’t have to do it,” the Mother Confessor shook her head, secretly amused at this Cara’s display of impatience. “Farkas’ sentence will, most certainly, be death,” she confirmed, making Cara smile satisfyingly. “For him and his co-conspirator, Eratos. What they did was too serious for it to be anything else, but they will still be heard in a trial before that happens.”

“Good,” Cara nodded curtly. “They deserve nothing less,” she said in a tone that let everyone know much she hated both men.

“But I would ask something of all you,” the Mother Confessor continued, her eyes studying their young visitors closely. “I would like for you to be present at the trial. You will serve as proof of the time travelling and I can call on you to answer questions if needed be,” she explained her plan, ending up looking at Kahlan for the answer.

“Of course we will be there,” Kahlan was quick to confirm. “You can count on us,” she continued with a reassuring smile.

“I was hopping as much,” the Mother Confessor smiled back, her gratitude clear in her eyes. “But I still thank you.”

“Let’s not wait anymore then,” Cara said as she got up and turned to face Raina, who was standing at attention a couple of steps behind them. “Please make the necessary arrangements for the trial, you know what to do. I also want to get this over with as soon as possible,” she ordered and watched the Mord’Sith nod in acknowledgement and leave the room with Berdine.

“Mother,” Sarah said, bringing everyone’s attention to her. “Do you want me to change?” she asked, motioning to the black leathers she was till using. Normally she attended the hearings wearing one of her Confessor dresses, it was a lot more formal that way.

“No, sweetie,” the Mother Confessor smiled, looking appraisingly at her daughter and nodding approvingly after a pause. “I know you prefer the leathers and it will actually help with sending a message. People need to accept my daughters as they are, once and for all,” she stated with a slightly annoyed sigh; she was tired of the whispers about the girls’ heritage, they were getting older and their roles in Aydindril would become more active, people needed to accept them without second thoughts.

“What about you, little thing?” Sarah asked her sister, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Do _you_ want to change?” she asked more to tease her sister than anything else, she was very aware of the girl’s preference in wardrobe.

“But I look so pretty in a dress,” Alys said as she got up from her chair and twirled around happily, the dress flowing around her with the movement. “Why change?” she grinned teasingly and made a show of looking her sister up and down.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Sarah shook her head unbothered as she also got up from her chair. “I look pretty in _anything_ ,” she smirked at the blonde girl and dodged the swat Alys aimed at her with a laugh. “But we should still clean ourselves up a bit, so come on,” she said and walked out the room, her little sister next to her.

“Do they ever get tired of teasing each other?” Kahlan shook her head fondly as she addressed the older women.

“No,” Cara replied with a tired sigh, one that spoke of the countless times she had to hear her daughters bicker with each other. “They can even do it without uttering a single word,” she added, her eyes glazing over as she recalled such times.

“Alys seems to be a fan of practical jokes,” Cara commented, also remembering how Alys enjoyed teasing her in the short time they had spent together.

“That too,” the Mother Confessor chuckled, making a mental note of asking her daughter later exactly what practical jokes she had pulled on her mom’s younger self. “But I think Cara was thinking about the time Alys spent a whole day staring silently at Sarah,” she clarified, making the others laugh in amusement. “We were all expecting her to cave and give it up, but I swear my youngest daughter sometimes seem to function on shear stubbornness alone,” she sighed, knowing the extremes Alys could go to when she wanted to prove her point.

“I bet that rattled Sarah,” Kahlan chuckled, imagining how annoying it might have been to have the little girl follow her around silently for so long.

“It takes a lot to bother Sarah,” Cara said with a tilt of her head. “But that day she actually had to make an effort not to let her sister’s insistence get to her,” she chuckled at the memory. “She’s no less stubborn than Alys.”

“We have to go take care of some things before the trial,” the Mother Confessor said after the laughter had dyed down, her wife nodding in understanding and getting up with her. “Meet us in the chair room within the hour,” she instructed, addressing their younger selves before leaving the room.

“We’ll be there,” Kahlan confirmed to the departing women and turned to her companions. “Who wants to go stretch their legs for a while?” she asked, not wanting to be cooped up in the same room until the trial; she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious about it.

“We spend our days doing precisely that, my dear,” Zedd reminded Kahlan with raised eyebrows. “I think I’ll take this opportunity to do the exact opposite,” he stated, reclining on his chair and taking a bite of the persimmon in his hand, courtesy of the Mother Confessor who had asked for the fruit especially for him.

“I’ll keep an eye on Zedd,” Richard said with an amused grin as he watched his grandfather enjoy the fruit. “Prevent him from devouring the Palace’s entire supply of food,” he said teasingly, earning a reproachful look from the old man.

“What about you?” Kahlan asked Cara while getting up from her chair. “Are you tired too?” she said with a playful glint in her eyes.

“I’m never tired,” Cara quickly replied and got up swiftly to join Kahlan. “You should know that better than anyone,” she whispered to the brunette as she passed her by on her way to the door.

Kahlan just pursed her lips to contain her grin at the blonde’s sly comment and followed her out the room. They had only walked a few paces down the corridor, when they were intercepted by a soldier from the Aydindril army, judging by his colors.

“Commander,” he saluted, standing at attention in front of Cara. “Riders have been dispatched to inform the members of the Council of the impending trial,” he informed, keeping his head slightly down in deference. “Mother Confessor,” he acknowledged Kahlan with a respectful bow.

“Hmm,” Cara cleared her throat and looked at Kahlan for help, only to be greeted with a very amused look as the brunette watched the scene, content with no interfering. With a sigh, Cara addressed the man. “I’m not the one you’re supposed to report to,” she informed a little awkwardly.

“Commander?” the man frowned in confusing and lifted his head to look at her. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“I’m not your Commander,” Cara stated flatly. “And she’s also not who you think she is,” she said, pointing at Kahlan, who just smiled at the man.

“You’re imposters!” the man said in alarm, recognizing the differences between these women and the ones he was accustomed to, now that he looked closely at them. Without waiting a second more, he took out his sword menacingly, making both women take a cautious step back.

“Calm down,” Kahlan said in a calm voice, not wanting to hurt this man but sure she could defend herself if he tried to attack her. “Let us explain.”

“Stand down!” Raina barked, as she approached the soldier from behind. “That’s your Commander and the Mother Confessor you’re raising a sword to. Do you have a death wish?” she asked as she stared the man down.

“They said they weren’t them,” the man justified, to what Raina just rolled her eyes.

“They are their younger counterparts, who came here with Sarah and Alys,” Raina clarified, to the soldier’s surprise. “Now, put your weapon away, unless you want a go at them,” she smiled a little too sweetly.

“No,” the man quickly said as he sheathed his sword. “I’m terribly sorry for my mistake, please forgive me,” he bowed in respect in front of an amused Kahlan and a slightly annoyed Cara.

“You were only doing your duty, you have nothing to apologize for,” Kahlan was quick to reassure and sighed when she noticed that Cara was just giving the man a cold stare. The blonde smirked wolfishly when the soldier glanced at her, making the man wince and look at the floor again.

“Go and make sure the men know there are visitors from the past. Besides the Commander and the Mother Confessor, the wizard Zedd and the Lord Rahl are also here,” Raina advised. “We wouldn’t want the Commander to be informed of an attempt on her own life, right?” she asked and the soldier shook his head quickly. “Or even worse, an attempt on the life of the Mother Confessor,” at that the soldier’s eyes went even wider and he looked at Raina in horror.

“I’ll go warn everyone right away,” the man said and scurried away like he was being chased by a shadrin.

“Men,” Raina sighed boringly as they watched the soldier leave. “It’s all about the right motivation, am I right?” she grinned.

“That was one way to do it,” Kahlan said with a slightly disapproving look, but couldn’t help but chuckle at Raina’s unapologetic attitude. “Do you always amuse yourself this much when you’re addressing the soldiers?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, almost dreading the reply she would get.

“You’ll eventually find out I amuse myself when I address anyone, Mother Confessor,” Raina smirked before continuing down the corridor. “Feel free to roam the Palace,” she said over her shoulder. “Or find a quiet room somewhere,” she added before disappearing over the next corner, leaving two stunned faces in her wake.

“That was a fine example of her amusing herself, wasn’t it?” Kahlan chuckled at the Mord’Sith’s insinuating comment and looked at Cara questioningly.

“I guess not even the Mother Confessor escapes Raina’s colorful observations,” Cara said with a shake of her head. She wasn’t really surprised at the Mord’Sith’s words, ever since they had met, Raina had always been a proud owner of a very sharp tongue, apparently it had only gotten sharper with age.

“Let’s go,” Kahlan said and grabbed Cara’s hand. “I need some fresh air,” she said with a wishful smile, pulling the blonde along with her.

“We don’t have much time to roam outside the Palace, if we want to make it in time for the trial,” Cara pointed out, but followed Kahlan willingly.

“I know,” Kahlan nodded and moved purposefully along the familiar corridors. “I was thinking of something else,” she said and opened a door that lead to a balcony overlooking the city.

“This works too,” Cara nodded approvingly, approaching the banister to look at the city below. “This is quiet the view,” she commented in awe.

“You said the same thing back at the Keep,” Kahlan smiled and hugged Cara from behind. She was really happy that Cara seemed to enjoy Aydindril. “I’m sure the People’s Palace had similar views,” she commented and brushed Cara’s hair away so she could kiss her neck.

“Not quite as green though,” Cara commented, cupping Kahlan’s cheek and turning her head to kiss the brunette’s lips.

“I like green,” Kahlan said with a smile, allowing Cara to turn around and placing her arms loosely on the Mord’Sith’s shoulders. “It has become my favorite color,” she whispered sweetly while looking deeply into the blonde’s eyes.

“I don’t know,” Cara disagreed, circling the brunette’s waist. “I think I prefer blue,” she grinned, making Kahlan hum contently before she kissed her lips again.

“So, what do you think of your older self?” Kahlan asked after pulling away from the kiss, combing through blonde hair distractedly.

“I’m not sure,” Cara shrugged indifferently. “My eyes keep drifting to the Mother Confessor,” she said slowly with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“You’ve been ogling her?” Kahlan asked in mock outrage as she slapped Cara’s shoulder playfully. “Cara!”

“You can’t be jealous of yourself,” Cara pointed out with a smug grin. “Besides, I was just confirming what I’ve told you before, that you would be really hot when you got older,” she recalled a conversation they had had previously about the time she had gone to the future with Richard and saw a statue of Kahlan.

“You didn’t age badly yourself,” Kahlan mused. “I like the long hair and she has this aura of authority around her, it’s very attractive,” she said with a dreamy look.

“Okay, enough of this,” Cara said with a frown, not liking where this was going.

“Not as fun when it’s me doing the ogling?” Kahlan teased as Cara just rolled her eyes.

“Not really, I guess,” Cara conceded with a sigh, pulling Kahlan closer to her in an unconscious attempt to assert herself.

“No need to be jealous,” Kahlan grinned at Cara’s actions and annoyed expression, sure that the blonde wasn’t even aware of what she was doing.

“I’m not jealous,” Cara pouted and raised her eyebrows in slight annoyance, which she realized, did nothing to back up her claim.

“Of course you’re not,” Kahlan said sarcastically. “And there’s no reason for you to be. I only have eyes for you,” Kahlan whispered against Cara’s lips before kissing the blonde slowly. “All versions of you,” she added teasingly, moving to kiss Cara again but laughed when the blonde leaned away from her with an unamused frown.

“You’re having a little too much fun with this,” Cara tried to scold the brunette, but the grin playing at her lips took the bite out of it. “And what about you? Is this how you imagined yourself to be, after galivanting all around the Midlands helping the Seeker?” she asked in a playful tone, but she knew Kahlan would perceive the serious question under the teasing.

“Definitely not,” Kahlan said pensively, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, feeling Cara’s fingers tracing comforting circles on her lower back. “I always thought I would be alone,” she started with a frown, her eyes fixating on the freckles of Cara’s chest as she pondered what to say next. “Being a Confessor, let alone the Mother Confessor, deep down it’s… lonely,” she swallowed and glanced up into Cara’s eyes, getting the strength to continue from the silent understanding in the blonde’s eyes. “And when I discovered I was the only Confessor left alive; I knew my life would truly never be my own again. My duty of having to rule Aydindril and continue the line of Confessors had to come first,” she sighed, remembering the toll this news had taken on her. “When I was with Richard, deep down I knew it was something that I would have to let go one day, but while we were trying to save the world I guess it felt okay to postpone my responsibilities and ignore reality,” she shrugged meekly, leaning into Cara’s hand gratefully when the blonde caressed her cheek. “But then you changed all that,” she smiled, kissing the inside of Cara’s wrist. “You just wouldn’t give up on us. And not in a novelty way, with promises of everything being all right eventually, with no real regard for the obstacles we face. Granted you stumbled on them a few times, but you’ve always came around, acknowledged those obstacles and tried to go around them,” she explained, knowing by the blonde’s soft smile that her words were making an echo with her. “Or through them, most of the time,” she added with an amused chuckle, making Cara grin and nod in agreement of her more direct approach of dealing with problems.

“It looks like it payed off,” Cara said in a low voice. “She seems far from lonely,” she smiled.

“It’s more than that,” Kahlan said in awe. “She has a family with the person she loves, without that person being confessed. Only in my wildest dreams have I ever dreamt something like that would ever be possible.”

“I already knew I was good at many things,” Cara started teasingly, wanting to bring some levity to their talk. “But I never imagined I was able to make dreams come true,” she grinned proudly.

“You _are_ a dream come true, Cara,” Kahlan said meaningfully, smiling at the way Cara just shyly bit her lip. It always made her heart swell when she could see this side of Cara; the side that was solely ruled by emotion and it only made itself shown in these moments together, making it all the more perfect.

Cara chose to forego words and instead replied to Kahlan in a language that carried more meaning and emotion than she could ever put in words. She cupped Kahlan’s neck and pulled the brunette into a tender kiss, the smile on Kahlan’s lips as she kissed back letting her know her message had been received.

********************

The chair room was filled to the brim with people who wanted to witness the Mother Confessor pass judgment on the men who had terrorized their city for so long. Raina and Berdine had done a good job at spreading the word, bringing to the palace not only the Council but as many citizens from Aydindril as the room could welcome. The ones that didn’t fit in the room, were gathered in the courtyard, all waiting for justice to be made. An expectant energy could be felt in the air as everybody took their place. But this time, instead of the Mother Confessor being the one to attract the attention, the time travelers were the ones on the end of the curious looks.

“Bring in the prisoners,” the Mother Confessor ordered in a steel voice from her sitting position on the high chair.

Raina and Berdine entered the room, each one of them leading one of the shackled prisoners. The Mord’Sith made them kneel before the Mother Confessor, before standing at attention behind them.

“Mother Confessor,” Farkas looked up at the ruler of Aydindril, but the only sound leaving his mouth after that was a pained scream as something connected with his neck.

“The Mother Confessor didn’t say you could talk,” Raina said calmly from behind Farkas while she pressed her agiel more firmly to the man’s neck for good measure. “You’ll either stay silent or scream again, but there will be no talking, unless it’s demanded of you,” she warned, finally taking the agiel away while the wizard gasped in relief.

The Mother Confessor gave a curt nod to Raina, letting her know her gesture had been appreciated. She turned to her right and gave her daughters and encouraging look. Both girls were standing next to her chair, Sarah in her Mord’Sith leather couldn’t look prouder and Alys seemed a little nervous, but one quick wink from her sister was all it took for the girl to stand taller. Their younger selves were standing to side, not at all bothered by the curious looks they were getting. The Mother Confessor turned to her left in search of the strength her wife’s reassuring look always gave her and then cleared her throat to address the room. 

“We are here to pass judgement on these two men,” the Mother Confessor started, looking around the now completely silent room. “They stand accused of conspiring against Aydindril, laying siege to the city, attempting to murder me and murdering the Commander of Aydindril’s army,” she paused and looked down at the prisoners. “Do you deny these accusations?” she asked the men, her voice never wavering.

“I never attacked you, with dagger or magic,” Farkas told the Mother Confessor, knowing what he was saying was true and she couldn’t say otherwise.

“That’s because you knew if you did, I would have stopped dagger _and_ magic,” Cara interjected calmly from her spot next to the high chair. “As would my daughters,” she added with a smirk.

“You didn’t stop the arrows I shot at you though,” Farkas spat at Cara with smug smirk.

“That’s one crime you’re admitting to. Good,” the Mother Confessor said quickly, effectively wiping the smug smirk from Farkas’ face and not letting him try to diminish Cara in any way. “So on to the others,” she continued without pause. “Since you couldn’t get to me here, you decided to use a more cowardly method to achieve your goals. You traveled back in time and tried to kill her,” she said, motioning to Kahlan.

“What the Mother Confessor is saying is true,” Kahlan addressed the room after her older self had given her an imperceptible nod for her to speak. “Me and my companions are from twenty years in the past. Farkas arrived in our time and tried to kill me,” she explained, raising awed whispers from the audience. “The only reason I’m alive, is because Alys stepped in front of the wizard’s fire Farkas used against me and deflected it,” she said with a smile at the young girl.

“So, you’re saying that my daughter’s Mord’Sith powers saved your life?” the Mother Confessor asked her younger self, clearly intending on making it very clear that her daughter’s powers were an asset, not something to be feared or mistrusted. 

“Not only my life,” Kahlan said and turned to Richard next to her. “Alys stopped a dacra from killing the Seeker, without whom the tear of the veil would never have been mended and you would all be living very different lives, if you would even be alive at all,” she reminded the room, satisfied with the murmurs of agreement she could hear.

“I saved the entire world,” Alys whispered to her sister in awe.

“So not the time to be boasting, little thing,” Sarah whispered back to her sister, holding her grin at bay. Leave it to Alys to make a comment like this in the middle of the most important hearing they have witnessed yet.

“And Sarah,” Kahlan smiled at the teen. “She brought Cara back to life with the Breath of Life,” she said, glancing at the blonde beside her. “Both of them are very strong and capable young women.”

“And yet, these men claim the line of Confessors has been weakened with the birth of my daughters, precisely because they have Mord’Sith powers,” the Mother Confessor addressed the room again. “But as you all heard, if anything, it has been strengthened, wouldn’t you agree?” she turned to look directly at Farkas when she asked the question, her eyes daring the man to contradict her.

“But they’re not true Confessors, they-” Farkas insisted weakly, before he was interrupted.

“Is that why you ran with your tail between your legs the moment Sarah entered the Con Dar?” Cara asked challengingly from next to Kahlan, remembering the moment when Farkas had kidnaped Alys. “I’m guessing you didn’t want to end up confessed and you knew your magic was useless against her. So, the way I see it, the girls are not only true Confessors, but their powers make them even stronger than other Confessors. That’s the part you _really_ don’t like,” she said mockingly, receiving a venomous look from Farkas.

“You used this twisted notion that my daughters’ powers tainted the line of Confessors to capitalize on the radical ideas of the Blood of the Fold and get them to use their military force against Aydindril,” the Mother Confessor clarified. “Isn’t that right, Eratos?” she addressed the silent man.

“Farkas’ vison for Aydindril resonated with us,” Eratos said with conviction. “We couldn’t allow the Midlands to be controlled by a power we don’t understand,” he said, glancing at Sarah and Alys. “He promised a future were the ones leading could be trusted to lead us to greatness.” 

“I wonder what else he promised you,” Cara wondered in suspicion from beside the Mother Confessor. “My guess is that it was something more substantial than idealistic visions of the future,” she narrowed her eyes at the man as he lowered his head.

“You talk about my daughter’s powers as if they are something to be feared,” the Mother Confessor said to the man. “Those powers won’t be what will make my daughters great leaders one day, it will be their wisdom, good judgment and commitment to serve their people,” she stated with conviction. “All qualities you lack, so you had to resort to twisting people’s minds into seeing a danger that doesn’t exist and presenting yourselves as the saviors,” she said. “It would have been a good plan if the people of Aydindril were that gullible or stupid,” she said, provoking cheers of agreement throughout the room.

Farkas opened his mouth to interject, but the pain of the agiel against his neck prevented him once more.

“She did warn you to speak only when you’re being addressed,” Cara said from her standing place next to her wife and gave an approving nod to a smirking Raina.

“As I was saying, when turning the people against me didn’t work out, you knew that the only way to seize the power in Aydindril would be to take out the line of Confessors,” the Mother Confessor continued after Farkas lowered his head. “I’m too well protected in Aydindril,” she said with a knowing look at her wife. “And as my daughters grow older, her powers are also growing, which would make killing them increasingly difficult for you. So, you decided to terminate the problem at its root. You figured that you would catch me by surprise in the past and by doing that, ensuring that Sarah and Alys would have never even be born,” she explained. “Do you dare to defy my reasoning?”

“My goal was to bring order and prosperity to Aydindril,” Farkas insisted. “Not leave it in the hands of freaks of nature that were made by magic,” he spat.

“They weren’t made, they were conceived, like any other child,” The Mother Confessor quickly intervened, trying really hard to maintain her calm demeanor. “And yes, magic had a part in it, but the only reason that magic worked was because the love between their parents was strong enough to will it,” she explained, refusing to let something so beautiful to be soiled by ignorance and prejudice. “My daughters are not a product of dark magic; they are a product of pure love. Confessors powers are based on love, in the eyes of that, my daughters couldn’t be purer.”

“No, that’s-“ Farkas tried to say but the Mother Confessor’s voice overlapped his like thunder.

“Stop trying to use my daughters as a justification for your actions,” the Mother Confessor raised her voice angrily. “Your real motives were greed for power, pure and simple.” 

“I’m telling you all I only had Aydindril’s best interest in mind,” Farkas claimed, looking around the room to try and gain any sympathy, but the closed faces around him didn’t give him much hope of that happening.

“There is a way we can find that out for sure,” Cara said and looked pointedly at her wife.

“What you did is unforgivable,” The Mother Confessor said after an agreeing nod at Cara. “But we can certainly clarify your intentions once and for all,” she got up from her chair and stood in front of both men looking between them, seeing the recognition and consequent fear in their eyes.

“You’re going to confess us,” Eratos said with a fearful tremble in his voice.

“I won’t,” Kahlan said calmly and turned to look at her daughters. “Girls,” she motioned for both girls to come closer to her. “Do your duty and let these man know the Confessor power they so adamantly seem to refuse to acknowledge in you both,” she said, taking care to look at both girls in the eyes and make sure they were comfortable with what she was asking of them.

This trial was just as much about justice as it was about breaking misconceived notions that still might be plaguing some people’s minds. Her and Cara’s instinct had always been to protect and shy the girls away from these prejudiced ideas, but they understood now that if they wanted their daughters to be truly safe, they had to do the opposite, they had to show them to the people. 

“Yes, Mother Confessor,” Sarah said solemnly and nodded encouragingly at her sister. The fact that she addressed her mother by the title letting Kahlan know that she wasn’t doing this lightly and understood perfectly the solemnity of the moment. 

Alys swallowed as she watched her sister waste no time in placing herself in front of a fearful Farkas. She looked at Eratos and saw the same fear in the man’s eyes as he stared at her, the silence of the room seeming to only enhance the intensity of that look. She had never confessed anyone in a hearing before; this was not a reflexive gesture to save her life, this was a deliberate release of her power, knowing perfectly well what the consequences would be. Deserving or not, it was still a big step for her. Alys looked at her mother and the regal figure immediately reminded her that she was not just doing something her mother was asking her to do, she was doing her duty, doing what the Mother Confessor was trusting her to do. She had watched this woman countless times before pass judgment on people, and not once was she unfair or devoid of mercy, so she trusted the Mother Confessor’s judgement; she trusted her mother unconditionally. Looking behind the Mother Confessor, Alys spotted her mom, who gave her an almost imperceptible wink along with a mouthed _‘you got this’_ , that gave her the last bit of confidence she needed. With a deep breath, she placed herself in front of Eratos and looked expectantly at her sister.

Sarah looked back at Alys and gave her a curt nod, letting the girl know she could start. They both reached for the men’s necks at the same time, but if Eratos just clenched his jaw and didn’t move, Farkas tried to move away from Sarah’s reach, only to be met again with the excruciating pain the agiel pointed at the back of his neck brought.

“You don’t learn,” Raina said in a low voice, almost to herself.

The girls’ hands made contact at the same time and the air in the room seemed to crackle with silent thunder when their power was released.

“Command me, Confessor,” both men said at the same time, their fearful looks turning into ones of adoration.

“Tell me what your intentions were when you decided to kill the Mother Confessor,” Sarah asked with much the same hard tone her mother had used.

“I wanted to be the ruler of Aydindril,” Farkas answered with no pause. “I wanted the power that comes with it and to use it to expand my influence,” he said, the adoring smile on his face making the words sound even worse than they already did. “I was planning to invade D’Hara as soon as I could and make myself the sole ruler of a big empire,” he confessed to the shock of everyone in the room.

“As you all could hear, his intentions had nothing to do with my daughters or the line of Confessors,” the Mother Confessor addressed the audience once they had quieted down. “He wanted to start a war, that would surely claim countless lives, all so he could gain even more power,” she pointed out, watching has everybody nodded along with her words and turned to look at Alys, indicating to the girl she should be the one to address her confessed.

“What about you?” Alys said, looking at Eratos. “What were your goals when you allied yourself with Farkas?” the girl questioned, surprising herself with the unwavering tone her voice adopted. 

“He promised to make me second in command of the empire he wanted to conquer,” Eratos replied immediately. “I command the forces of the Blood of the Fold; imagine what it would be like to command the largest army our world has ever seen and march with it beyond the boundary and into Westland,” he said with a glimmer in his eyes.

“As I suspected,” Cara shook her head in disgust, stepping closer to her wife. “The offer included a lot more than foolish ideals.”

“You were planning to invade D’Hara _and_ Westland?” the Mother Confessor asked, not quiet managing to avoid the widening of her eyes. These men were even madder than she thought. They were willing to ravage three realms just to boost their own ego.

“After taking D’Hara, Westland was the obvious next step,” Farkas replied nonchalantly, raising shocked and angry exclamations from the crowd.

“There you have it,” the Mother Confessor addressed the audience, surer than ever of the sentence she would be carrying. “These men aimed to start something that went even beyond what we imagined,” she said, disbelief and anger seeping from her tone. “And for that, their sentence is more than just,” she said and took a moment to look around the room. “I, Kahlan Amnell, Mother Confessor of Aydindril, hereby sentence you to death, for crimes against me, my family and the people of Aydindril,” she said confidently and with a sense of finality, to the sounds of approval around the room.

“Girls, please stand back,” Cara told her daughters, motioning them to go back to the place they were before. “I’ll take it from here,” she said while she unsheathed both her agiels and looked at both men ominously.

As Sarah and Alys walked back to their previous spot, Cara looked questioningly at her wife, silently asking her for permission to carry on her sentence.

“The sentence will be carried out by the Commander of Aydindril’s army. She should be the one to carry out the death sentence of the man that killed her, after all,” the Mother Confessor announced to the room before turning to Cara once again. “Do it,” Kahan told her wife with a nod.

“Gladly,” Cara replied and moved to stand in between both men, agiels readied in her hands.

Before any of the men knew what was happening, Cara positioned her agiels to their temples and the weapons made contact with skin at the same time. The screams of the agiels merged with the ones of the men only for a couple of seconds, before they both fell lifelessly to the floor.

“It is done. I hereby declare this trial over,” the Mother Confessor announced. “Hopefully this will serve as an example to those who still doubt my daughter’s legitimate claim to rule Aydindril and decide to attempt against my family, this city or it’s people in the future,” she said warningly as she looked around the room, making sure her eyes stayed a little longer on the members of her Council. “Take them away,” she ordered the soldiers as she motioned to the dead prisoners and turned to leave the room, sure that her family would be close behind her.

********************

After the trial, they all went to the Wizard’s Keep, so they could open the portal that would take the time travelers back home. Farkas and the Blood of the Fold had been dealt with and the girls were back safely with their family. It was time to say goodbye.

“That was satisfying to watch,” Cara smirked and nodded at her older self. “I guess watching myself kill that bastard is the next best thing to doing it myself.”

“I can assure you being the one to do it is a lot more satisfying,” Cara replied to her younger self with a twin smirk. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”

“It drove us crazy not knowing where Farkas was and where our girls were,” the Mother Confessor sighed, hugging Alys close to her and kissing the top of the girl’s head tenderly. “I can’t even put into words how glad and grateful I am that they found you,” she said emotionally, looking at her younger self and her company.

“Trust me,” Kahlan replied with a kind smile. “We are also really glad to have met them,” she nodded and looked at Cara for confirmation.

“It was definitely something else,” Cara nodded with raised eyebrows, sharing a look with Alys. The little girl had managed to push her buttons in a way that unsettled her at first, but she had come to appreciate the closeness that the actions brought with it. 

“Did you give your mom a hard time, baby girl?” the Mother Confessor asked Alys with a chuckle, noticing the look between both blondes.

“Oh yes, it was so much fun,” Alys nodded eagerly, giggling when Cara rolled her eyes good naturedly and then turned to look at her mom, which just made her swallow nervously when she noticed that the older blonde was not sharing their amusement. “Please, be sure to take every drop of that forgetting potion,” she comically begged Cara. “Now that you like me, you wouldn’t want me to be grounded, would you?” she goaded, glancing meaningfully at her mom.

“Don’t worry, I got your back, kid,” Cara chuckled, shaking her head fondly at Alys’ cheekiness and glanced at her older self, smiling when the woman winked conspiringly at her, clearly amused by her daughter despite the stoic front she was trying to put up.

“I wish we didn’t have to forget you both,” Kahlan said as she looked at the girls. “I’m going to miss you,” she smiled with tears in her eyes.

“We’re going to miss you too,” Alys said as she left her mother’s side and flew into Kahlan’s open arms, embracing the woman tightly. “I know you’re them, but… you’re also different,” she said with a wide smile.

“They don’t scold you as much,” Sarah quipped as she approached them too. “That’s the big difference,” she chuckled and also hugged Kahlan tightly.

“See, I knew the difference was a _good_ thing,” Alys grinned, making the others laugh. “Another good thing, is that now I can always hug you without having to resort to trickery,” she giggled at Cara as the woman knelt in front of her readily and pulled her into a hug.

“If you weren’t a kid, I would probably have used my agiel on you for a couple times back there,” Cara said as she pulled out of the embrace and cupped the girl’s chin. “You were very lucky.”

“I was lucky when I got you as my mom,” Alys said sincerely, making Cara pause a moment, taken aback by the intensity she could see in the girl’s blue eyes.

“Are you trying to sweet talk me again?” Cara squinted playfully at Alys, an attempt at lighten the emotionally charged moment.

“She does that a lot,” Sarah nodded as she approached Cara. “But now she’s just telling the truth,” she smiled and hugged Cara close. “We are very lucky to have you both as our mothers,” she said looking between a slightly embarrassed Cara and a beaming Kahlan.

“So, we go through all the hardships of raising you and they get the compliments?” Cara asked with mock indignance, making her daughters turn immediately towards her and thus relieving her younger self from an emotional moment she was sure it was not yet an easy thing for the young blonde to deal with.

“No mom,” Alys giggled as she ran back Cara and hugged the older blonde’s waist. “I love you so much more!” she cooed while squeezing the amused woman. “Especially because I bet you’re finally going to let me carry weapons around all the time,” she grinned innocently and batted her eyelashes up at her mom.

“You really don’t let an opportunity pass, do you?” Cara shook her head at her crafty daughter and brushed the blonde hair out of her expectant face.

“Is that a yes?” Alys asked hopefully, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Of course not, baby girl,” Cara replied a little too sweetly, watching as her daughter’s expectant expression fell while she caressed the little girl’s cheek reassuringly.

“Nice try thought, sis,” Sarah complimented. “But maybe stop asking her. I think your eagerness does nothing to assuage her worries about you wandering around with a weapon all the time,” she smiled wickedly as her sister just glared at her.

“Well, I think it’s time we go,” Zedd cleared his throat and looked at his companions who nodded back at him. “This has certainly been an experience,” he chuckled as he looked at their older selves. “I look forward to meeting you girls all over again,” he smiled gently at the smiling sisters.

“It was really nice to meet you too, Zedd,” Sarah replied and went to hug the wizard goodbye. “And don’t mind what they say, you are a good cook,” she said, making the others laugh.

“And a great storyteller,” Alys added as she also went to hug Zedd.

“This has certainly been a different adventure,” Richard said from beside his grandfather. “We’re used to dealing with banelings and evil sorceresses, you girls were a nice change of pace,” he chuckled and hugged them both.

“You’re always fun to be around, uncle Richard,” Alys grinned.

“Just make sure you get your powers back,” Sarah added knowingly. “We will both be very grateful for that,” she grinned as Richard laughed and nodded in agreement.

“Goodbye girls,” Kahlan said tearfully as the sisters approached her once again.

“For now,” Sarah winked and gently wiped the tear that had fallen down Kahlan’s cheek. “When we meet again, I’ll cry a little more, but bear with it, it won’t be for long, I was a quiet baby in general. Unlike this one,” she said with a grin as she looked down at her sister.

“What are you talking about?” Alys asked miffed. “I didn’t cry that much,” she protested indignantly.

“Yes, you did,” Sarah nodded slowly. “You still do,” she added teasingly and earned herself a pinch on her side, courtesy of her offended sister.

“A little crying is part of life,” Kahlan said with a fond smile as she watched the girls bicker once more. “I’m sure I can deal with it if it gets me two beautiful daughters,” she said as she hugged both girls tightly, not able to stop her tears from falling again. “I’m sorry, I guess I cry a lot too,” she chuckled and sniffled.

“Don’t worry, you’re not the only one to get emotional, some people just hide it better,” the Mother Confessor reassured, looking pointedly at Cara. The older brunette shook her head when the younger blonde gave her a questioning look. “Don’t even try to deny it, I can see you biting the inside of your cheek from here,” she pointed out and smiled when Cara rolled her eyes and turned to the girls.

“There’s no need to be sad,” Cara said while she schooled her features the best she could. “You’re back with your mothers and we’ll meet you again eventually,” she said, not sure who she was trying to reassure, the girls, Kahlan or herself.

“It was really nice to get to know you,” Alys said meaningfully to Cara.

“Know me?” Cara asked surprised and confused. “What do mean? You already knew me, I’m her,” she motioned to her older self.

“Not exactly,” Alys shook her head. “But you’re a lot more like her than we thought,” she chuckled at Cara’s still confused face.

“What Alys means is that while growing up we heard a lot of things about our mom,” she started carefully, glancing back at her mom to see the woman paying close attention to her, so she continued. “Mother grew up here. There’s not a single person in Aydindril who doesn’t know Kahlan Amnell and most of them have known her since she was a kid. But not you,” she pointed out, starting to see some semblance of understanding in Cara’s eyes. “As much as no one talks about it directly with us, we pick up things here and there, and some whispers painted you as someone very different from what you are now. Like you were this cruel enemy that was reformed,” she explained, not getting into details but knowing that Cara knew what she meant.

“That’s not far from the truth,” Cara replied, a confused frown still on her face.

“You’re wrong and that’s why we are so glad we got to meet you,” Sarah contradicted her, enjoying the puzzled look on the blonde’s face. “You are the same, you just haven’t realized it yet and so other people can’t see it either,” she explained further with a gentle smile.

“But we’re smarter than most people,” Alys pipped in with a nod.

“And how did my daughters get so wise?” the Mother Confessor asked amused.

“We did what you taught us to do,” Sarah replied smartly. “We listened and observed.”

“Yes, we listened all right,” Alys repeated and looked at Cara with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Like when you said hearings were extremely boring,” she grinned wickedly and looked at her mom, who was staring daggers at her younger self.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cara was quick to reply while she shrugged unconcernedly. “I’ve been to a couple of hearings; in one of them your mother was split in two different persons and I ended up fighting her and winning,” she pointed out as she looked at Kahlan with a smirk. “In the other, two bastards were killed,” she continued. “So, hearings are fun,” she said smugly, watching Alys squint at her.

“Nice save,” Alys nodded impressed. “See, you learned something from me too,” she grinned when Cara winked playfully at her.

“Are you all ready?” Zedd asked and received confirming nods from the others. “Let’s open the portal then,” he said, raising the Triangle of Anuyr while he started chanting. After a few moments, a light appeared in midair and transformed into a portal, a mirror room could be seen on the other side.

“This time you go first,” Cara told Zedd, nudging the wizard towards the portal. “Since ‘ _magic is unpredictable’_ ,” she quoted what Zedd had told her when they had traveled to the future. “You’ll be the one testing it,” she said and motioned with her head for Zedd to step over the portal.

After Zedd had crossed to the other side and assured Cara that everything was as it was supposed to be, the others followed him and then turned to look at the other side of the portal once more.

Kahlan smiled widely as she looked one last time at the family that would be waiting her in the future. She held her older self’s eyes and nodded gratefully at the woman, who nodded encouragingly back at her. Kahlan didn’t need words to understand what the other woman was conveying with that look; she was letting her know that everything would be fine and that the struggles and hardships she went through ever since she had left in search of Richard to name him as Seeker, would pay off and she would get the happiness she always dreamed about. And all that, thanks to the blonde woman next to her.

Cara noticed Kahlan’s look and smiled at the brunette. She knew this experience had touched Kahlan deeply and if she was honest with herself, it had touched her in the same way. She looked back towards the still open portal and saw her future, recognizing now, after all the ups and downs the girls had inadvertently made her and Kahlan go through, that this is what she desired the most. She didn’t want to die gloriously on some nameless battle, she wanted to build a legacy next to the woman she loved. She exchanged a knowing look with her older self, the easy smile on the older blonde’s lips letting her know that it was okay to be happy and that following her heart instead of other people’s wishes or orders, was exactly what would bring her that happiness.

“See you soon,” Sarah said with a wide smile as a last goodbye.

“And I’ll see you a few years after that,” Alys shouted and waved enthusiastically at them as they all watched the portal close. “That was fun! Do you think we could visit them again?” Alys asked and looked expectantly at Zedd, who just stared at her pensively for a moment.

“My dear, I think it might be best to guard the Triangle of Anuyr in a secluded location,” he proposed to Kahlan, making the brunette chuckle and look at a grinning Alys.

“I’m sure such extreme measures won’t be necessary,” Kahlan smiled gently at Zedd, knowing fully well how sneaky her youngest daughter was, but also knowing the girl wouldn’t go as far as to use the Triangle on her own.

“I’m not so sure,” Zedd sighed and glanced sideways at a still grinning Alys, the wizard didn’t like the mischievous glint he could see in the girl’s eyes. “Watch your sister, will you my darling?” he told Sarah as he slowly passed her by on his way to the door, squeezing the teen’s shoulder for good measure.

“What?” Sarah asked perplexed and looked between a departing Zedd and a smug Alys. “No way,” she protested and turned to follow Zedd. “I don’t want it to be my fault if she gets herself in trouble with that thing.”

“Oh please,” Alys rolled her eyes and followed her sister. “Like I would even do such a thing?” she said and stopped in her tracks when Sarah suddenly turned around and stared at her defiantly. “You _may_ have a point,” she nodded begrudgingly. “But I would ask you to go with me, so you’ll always have a chance to stop me.”

“You’re impossible,” Sarah shook her head and kept walking slowly next to Zedd. “Haven’t you learnt anything from our little adventure?” she questioned.

“Of course I did,” Alys said quickly. “Mother can’t read us,” she grinned mischievously. 

“Me, Alys, she can’t read _me_ ,” Sarah reminded. “You on the other hand, she can read very well, and so can I,” she pointed out.

“Time will fix that,” Alys shrugged unpreoccupied.

“It will, but that’s hardly the most important thing you should have gotten from all this,” Sarah sighed and looked down at her sister for a moment. “But it’s kinda awesome, isn’t it?” she shared in her sister’s mischievousness, making the girl nod and giggle.

“You girls know I can still hear you both, right?” Kahlan called to her daughters as she stood in amazement next to Cara.

“Facts, mommy,” Alys replied as she glanced back at her mother. “We’re just discussing facts.”

“I’m with the little thing on this one,” Sarah shouted, not even bothering to face her mother as both girls disappeared around the corner with Zedd.

“I don’t think I like how this trip influenced their attitude,” Kahlan shook her head, but couldn’t help but smile at the girls’ antics. “I bet this is all your fault,” she accused as she turned to face her wife.

“Excuse me?” Cara raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Your younger self was the one that told them she couldn’t read them. How is that my fault?”

“I was not referring to that. That’s something they would inevitably find out,” Kahlan dismissed quickly. “I mean the cheekiness. I bet your younger self was such a good role model when it comes to talking back at people and expressing opinions without any filter,” she said with a grin that took any real accusation off of her words.

“I seem to recall you finding that refreshing,” Cara replied with a sly grin as she circled Kahlan’s waist with her arms and pulled her wife to her.

“Aren’t you so smooth?” Kahlan squinted her eyes playfully at Cara as she shook her head amusedly. “Actually, _I_ seem to recall that I found that really annoying and frustrating, at first. You really drove me crazy,” she huffed, remembering the first weeks of travelling with Cara.

“I know I did, but I couldn’t stop myself,” Cara shrugged. “And when I could stop myself, I didn’t want to anyway. How could I pass up an opportunity to rile you up?” she smirked and pecked her wife’s cheek.

“You’re so lucky I saw through your act,” Kahlan smiled and kissed Cara’s lips. “If I hadn’t, I would probably have killed you,” she stated, twirling her wife’s blonde locks in her fingers.

“You would have tried, you mean,” Cara replied without pause, making Kahlan laugh good-naturedly.

“Have you ever thought about cutting your hair short again?” Kahlan mused after a moment, as she kept playing with Cara’s hair.

“Not really,” Cara shook her head and watched her wife’s cheeks redden slightly as the brunette bit her lip. “But I think I’ll consider it now,” she said, making her wife grin and wink at her, before she pulled her into a kiss.

********************

“Well,” Richard started after a moment of silence where they all just stood staring at the spot where the portal had closed. “That was some trip,” he chuckled as the others nodded in agreement.

“One we must now forget, I’m afraid,” Zedd reminded them and looked at the four potion vials that were waiting for them on the nearby table.

“Am I the only one who wishes we didn’t have to forget any of it?” Kahlan said with a sad sigh.

“No,” Cara replied with a small smile. “But it’s for the best. I, for one, don’t want to hear the wizard say _‘I told you so’_ if anything bad happens on the account of us knowing our futures,” she said nonchalantly, but when Kahlan smiled gratefully at her she winked back, knowing her attempt of lifting the woman’s spirits had the desired effect.

“We’ll meet them again eventually,” Richard added, smiling comfortingly at Kahlan. “And this time we’ll know who they are from the start,” he grinned as the others laughed.

“I know I’m being silly,” Kahlan shrugged. “But I miss the girls already,” she said as she looked longingly back at the spot were the portal had been.

“You’re not being silly,” Cara shook her head and squeezed Kahlan’s hand comfortingly. “I miss them too,” she confessed. “One more reason for us to take the potion, we won’t be missing them for all the years it will take for us to meet again,” she pointed out.

“And what fun is the journey if you already know how it ends?” Richard added with a shrug and a boyish smile.

“Speaking of which,” Cara started as she looked at Richard. “I don’t suppose _Lord Rahl_ told you were to find the Stone of Tears, did he?” she questioned.

“Unfortunately not,” Richard sighed defeatedly. “I tried to ask, but he was not forthcoming with answers,” he said, pursing his lips in clear disappointment.

“All for the best, my boy,” Zedd said, patting Richard’s shoulder. “It would be too much of a risk. Many things could go wrong,” he reminded them.

“Right,” Richard conceded. “We know we’ll be successful at least. That’s something,” he grinned confidently.

“I never doubted it,” Zedd grinned and looked proudly at his grandson. “Now, please, each one of you take a vial and we’ll drink the potion at the same time.”

They all took one vial and stood in a circle looking expectantly at each other. Kahlan still wished she didn’t have to forget their daughters, but she understood the need for it. She looked at Cara and smiled encouragingly, secure in the knowledge that, as Zedd had explained to her, the progress of their relationship and the memories they had made would not disappear, they would just be altered to erase any trace of the girls. Taking her cue from Zedd and the others, Kahlan drank the liquid and placed her vial back on the table.

“Let’s get out of here,” Zedd told them as he started walking towards the entrance of the Wizard’s Keep. “It will take a few moments for it to take effect,” he reassured the others as they followed him.

“How will we know it worked?” Richard asked curiously.

“How will we know what worked?” Kahlan asked with a frown.

“Zedd was talking about casting a spell to target Nicci’s magic specifically,” Richard said conversationally, the curious frown that had been on his face a moment ago transforming into his usually carefree expression. “So that if she tries to attack us again, Zedd could sense her coming from miles away,” he explained to the women.

“Oh, right,” Kahlan shook her head distractedly. “I think I got lost inside my head for a minute there,” she chuckled.

“I think that spell is a bad idea,” Cara said. “It will only give us a sense of false security and if it doesn’t work, she will definitely catch us off guard,” she explained. “I prefer to protect you all in a more reliable way. My way,” she said, pointedly looking at Zedd.

“Alright, alright,” Zedd raised his hands in surrender. “Message received, I won’t try such a spell,” he promised. “Now let’s get back to the Palace. My stomach is complaining,” he said with a grin.

“Coming here for a little respite was a good idea,” Kahlan said, looking around her. “I missed being home and I missed my sister. And after that bonding spell with Nicci, my father and then almost dying on that tomb, it was good to catch a break here,” she smiled thankfully at Cara and placed a light kiss on the blonde’s cheek. “And I have you to thank for the suggestion,” she grinned when the blonde smiled back at her. 

“If we took too long out here it’s your own fault, wizard,” Cara said with a huff. “You’re the one who got sidetracked with checking every book in this place,” Cara said as she looked around the enormous bookshelves all around them.

“I’ll have you know the Wizard’s Keep of Aydindril is full to the brim with ancient knowledge,” Zedd said indignantly. “But I wouldn’t expect you to value such a treasure,” he said flippantly.

“I can think of better ways to spend my time, wizard,” Cara quipped and glanced at Kahlan with a smirk, making the brunette blush a little.

“Again, I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Zedd replied with a dismissed wave of his hand.

The group continued towards the Palace, talking amicably between them, with breaks in the conversation for the now customary bickering between Cara and Zedd, which only made the interaction all the more familiar and normal. While she listened to her companions, Kahlan felt the sudden need to look back when this feeling of longing came over her suddenly. She paused and searched her immediate surrounding for what could have caused such a feeling but saw nothing out of the ordinary. With a deep breath and a shake of her head, she turned back to follow her companions, walking closer to Cara and bumping the blonde’s shoulder playfully. As she looked into the green eyes she loved so much, the longing feeling disappeared, only to be replaced by the peace Cara always transmitted her.

********************

“How is this girl not tired?” Cara huffed with her eyes closed while she rubbed her forehead tiredly. Alys was happily skipping around naked in the bathroom, singing to herself while picking the scented soap and bath salts she wanted to use on her bath.

“She runs on pure excitement,” Sarah chuckled at her mother’s frustration. “Spirits, I missed this bathroom,” she sighed contently as she watched the steam rise from the hot water on the large marble bathtub in the middle of the room. Travelling through the Midlands was all very interesting, but this bathtub beat any cold stream out there.

Not wanting to wait a moment more to relax on the warm water, Sarah stripped her leathers off. As she did this, a loud clink sound was heard as something fell out of her leathers and onto the floor. Sarah bent down to pick up the object and frowned as she looked at it.

“What’s that?” Cara asked absentmindedly, knowing her daughter liked to collect all kinds of weird things.

“It’s just a shinny stone I found back at the Palace in the past,” Sarah replied as her mother and sister approached her to have a closer look.

“Oooh, shinny,” Alys commented while peeking at the stone.

“It was just lying on the floor. On the spot aunt Dennee killed you,” Sarah revealed with a sad look at her mother. “Come to think of it, I don’t want to keep something that reminds me of that particular moment,” she said with a curl of her lip, not noticing her mother’s eyes widen in recognition, and pulled her hand back, intending on throwing the rock out of the open window.

“Wait!” Cara yelled while she grabbed Sarah’s hand with a fast movement, before the girl could throw the stone away. “It can’t be,” she whispered with a frown when she took the stone in her hand and looked at it more closely.

“What is it?” Sarah asked, raising her brow in curiosity as she looked from the stone to her mother’s stunned face. “Do you know what that thing is?” she asked, watching as Cara just stared at the stone in silence.

“Do you?” Alys repeated impatiently, tugging on Cara’s sleeve, since her mother just stood there looking at the stone. “Mom?”

“What are you three up to?” Kahlan asked as she entered the bathroom and saw her three favorite girls huddled together around something.

“Great timing, love,” Cara said, turning the stone around while she kept analyzing it. “Please come look at this and talk to your daughter,” she requested, lifting her eyes to her wife.

“ _My_ daughter?” Kahlan raised one eyebrow. “What did you do?” she asked, looking suspiciously at Sarah and moving towards her wife.

“She had this with her,” Cara said as she presented the stone to Kahlan. “She’s saying she found it in the past,” she added, nodding at Kahlan when the brunette’s eyes widened in shock and looked at her questioningly.

“That’s the Stone of Tears!” Kahlan gasped and took the stone in her hands to look closer at it. “Where _exactly_ did you find this?” she addressed an open-mouthed Sarah.

“It was on the spot I found you and mom at, after aunt Dennee had killed her,” Sarah explained with a shrug, still not understanding how this could be the Stone of Tears. “When I entered the room, you were crying over mom’s body. I was pretty upset with the scene, so I have no idea where that came from. I only noticed it when I was walking out,” she said, watching both her mothers look at her in astonishment.

“Are you sure that’s the Stone of Tears?” Alys asked skeptically, raising one eyebrow at her mothers.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Kahlan replied with confidence, but still not sure how the stone could have gotten to the place Sarah had claimed to find it at. “I looked at it so many times before, that I’m sure I could recognize it anywhere,” she reaffirmed.

“But wasn’t it the Creator that gave the stone to you?” Alys wondered, recalling the many times she had heard this story before.

“That was _not_ the Creator,” Cara was quick to correct, as she always did whenever this subject was broached.

“Cara, you don’t know that for sure,” Kahlan contradicted, as she always had since it happened. “A woman materialized in front of us out of nowhere and gave us the Stone of Tears,” she said, remembering what had happened so many years ago. “She never told us who she was, how she had the stone or how she found us,” she recalled. “Stranger things have happened, there’s a strong possibility that that woman was indeed the Creator herself helping our quest.”

“I think now we can be pretty sure she was _not_ the Creator,” Cara said slowly and looked pointedly at Sarah, hinting at something her wife clearly was not getting.

“Why are you looking at me funny?” Sarah asked Cara with a suspicious frown. “I’m not the Creator either,” she added with a chuckle, having no clue why her mom was looking at her like that.

“You’re _definitely_ not the Creator,” Cara shook her head with a smirk and looked at her wife again, waiting for the brunette to come to the same conclusion she had.

“It’s a good thing you’re not, sis,” Alys patted her sister’s arm comfortingly. “If you have to study this much to be Mother Confessor, imagine what you would have to put up with to be Creator. That would be a pain in the…,” she said but bit her tongue before she could finish when she noticed her mothers looking reproachfully at her. “…everywhere,” she finished lamely.

“Who else, other than the Creator, could have access to the Stone of Tears and know exactly who we all were and how to find us,” Kahlan pondered, still trying to wrap her head around all this.

“I don’t know,” Cara shrugged and tilted her head at her wife, looking pointedly at her before continuing. “It’s not like Sarah could have travelled back in time and give it us, right?” she asked sarcastically.

“You _are_ the Creator!” Alys gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and pointing at her sister in shock.

“Shut up, little thing,” Sarah chuckled and slapped her sister’s pointing finger away.

“It can’t be,” Kahlan shook her head slowly as she pondered this option while looking at her oldest daughter.

“It can’t be what? That simple?” Cara asked with a teasing grin, making her wife glare at her. “Need I remind you,” she started to say before the brunette cut her off.

“No, you don’t have to remind me, yet again, how your simpler answers turn out to be correct most of the time,” Kahlan conceded with an affectionate roll of her eyes. “But in this case, do you really think it possible?”

“Well, it’s a lot more likely than the _Creator_ coming down from the heavens just for us, I’ll tell you that,” Cara pointed out.

“We need to talk to Zedd about this,” Kahlan said, recognizing her wife was probably right.

“You girls get on with your bath,” Cara told her daughters. “Me and your mother will figure this out,” she said, pushing Kahlan out of the bathroom while the brunette kept looking in wonderment at the stone in her hands.

“If you’re going back to the past, I want to go with you,” Alys told her sister as soon as the door closed behind their mothers.

“If I do go,” Sarah started while finishing undressing herself. “I don’t think they’ll allow you to go with me,” Sarah shook her head as she pointed in the direction their mothers had went.

“Why not?” Alys asked peeved. “I was there before,” she justified, raising a challenging eyebrow at her sister.

“Because you’re too short to be _The Creator_ ,” Sarah teased with a laugh, sticking her tongue out at her sister when the blonde scowled up at her.

But before Alys could retort, she felt herself being pushed into the water by her laughing sister.

“Hey!” Alys protested after resurfacing and spluttering water all over. “Just because I’m smaller than you, you don’t get to manhandle me!”

“Oh really?” Sarah mocked. “And what are you going to do about it?” she asked with a teasing smirk.

Alys’ response was to grab the closest thing to her and throw it with all her force at her sister’s head. Too bad Sarah had no problem with sidestepping the impromptu projectile and to make things worse, what Alys had thrown was a glass bottle with scented salts in it, making quite the noise when it shattered on the ground.

“Girls, what’s going on in there?” Cara’s cross voice was heard from the adjacent room.

“Nothing mom!” both girls yelled back in unison, their eyes widening and none of them daring to move a muscle for a moment.

“Don’t make me come in there,” Cara’s voiced sounded again in warning, but since they didn’t hear her footsteps, the woman was making no move to actually enter the bathroom, which made both girls sigh in relief.

“You made that mess,” Sarah told her sister, pointing at the broken bottle while she entered the bath. “Go clean it up,” she instructed, grabbing the soap and settling down to relax.

“Nope. You go if you’re so bothered by it,” Alys refused, paying no attention to her sister and instead kept laddering her arms with the scented soap.

“It’s fine by me,” Sarah shrugged unconcernedly and inhaled slowly after a moment. “I wonder if mom would be as fine with it if she came back here, though?” Sarah commented absentmindedly.

At this, Alys stopped her motions and blinked while she pondered her sister’s words. With a glare at the smirking brunette, Alys slowly got out of the bath and stomped towards the nearest towel. She ripped the cloth off the shelve and used it to clean the mess away under Sarah’s victorious look.

********************

“It’s a shame we have to go so soon,” Cara said as they entered the Mother Confessor’s bedroom that night. “This place is not as bad as I thought,” she grinned playfully at Kahlan.

“Cara Mason,” Kahlan said playfully as she closed the door to the room. “Are you saying you enjoy all this luxury?” she grinned as she approached the blonde and kissed her softly.

“I lived in Mord’Sith Temples and the People’s Palace most of my life,” Cara reminded the brunette. “Luxury was something that never lacked around me,” she smirked and ran her hands lazily up and down Kahlan’s sides.

“And here I thought you had just fallen in love with my private bathtub,” Kahlan said insinuatingly as she remembered the night before and the amazing moments they had spent in there together, only to improve even more after, when they accidentally found out Kahlan couldn’t confess Cara. 

“You’re forgetting that in the Temples we had pools of hot water, not mere bathtubs,” Cara kept teasing, enjoying this banter between them. 

“Yes,” Kahlan nodded with a raised eyebrow, distractingly playing with the blonde’s hair. “And a lot of company in those pools,” she said in a playfully jealous tone.

“Well, sometimes less is more,” Cara whispered in Kahlan’s ear and bit down teasingly on her earlobe.

“So, you’re saying that one Confessor is better than every Mord’Sith in D’Hara?” Kahlan asked smugly, playing with the fine hairs at the base of Cara’s neck.

“What? No way. Confessors are not better than Mord’Sith,” Cara replied with a frown as Kahlan just stared at her in mock indignation. “But, Kahlan Amnell is better than any woman that exists,” she smirked as she watched Kahlan blush and smile.

“You know, for someone who doesn’t talk much,” Kahlan started, slowly running her fingers along the exposed skin of Cara’s cleavage. “You sure are good with words,” she said as she looked deeply into Cara’s eyes. 

“That’s because I don’t say anything I don’t mean,” Cara replied slowly, her tone losing its playfulness in favor of an honesty mixed with vulnerability, that was reserved for moments alone with Kahlan.

“I know,” Kahlan replied with the same intense honesty, cupping the blonde’s cheek and conveying with her eyes how much she appreciated these earnest moments with Cara.

Cara bit her lip and held Kahlan’s intense gaze for a moment, before leaning in and capturing the brunette’s lips in a tender kiss. Feeling Kahlan melt in her arms, she pushed the Confessor towards the large bed in the middle of the room, never interrupting the kiss that was becoming increasingly more heated.

Kahlan felt the bed hit the back of her legs and let herself be gently pushed to sit on it. She looked up at Cara with a sultry smirk and started to unbuckle the blonde’s belt, letting it fall to the floor. She opened her legs to accommodate Cara, while she worked on the laces of the leather trousers, while the blonde got rid of the upper half of her leathers. When Cara stood in front of her in only her undergarments, Kahlan took a moment to just look at the perfect body and ran her hands slowly up the blonde’s thighs, her heavy-lidded eyes never leaving Cara’s. The brunette cupped Cara’s behind and squeezed gently as she lowered her mouth to place open mouthed kisses all over Cara’s stomach and hips, smirking when she felt the blonde shiver and move her hands to tangle them in her dark locks, pulling Kahlan even more to her. Kahlan hooked her fingers on the waistband of the blonde’s undergarments and pulled it down slowly, her lips never leaving Cara’s golden skin. When the small garment fell all the way down Cara’s legs, Kahlan slide one hand back up the inside of the blonde’s thigh and let her fingers ghostly caress Cara’s center, making the blonde moan. She glanced up Cara’s body and had to grin when she noticed the blonde had already taken off the last piece of clothing that was covering her breasts.

“I wanted to take off,” Kahlan whispered hotly, one hand sliding up Cara’s back to pull the blonde closer to her as her lips eagerly closed around an erect nipple.

“Do you want me to put it back on?” Cara asked teasingly and got her answer in the form of a bite on her nipple that made her gasp and moan. “Then do you want me to take this off?” she asked instead as she tugged on the laces of Kahlan’s dress.

“That would be much more appreciated, yes,” Kahlan grinned up at her, her hands never stopping caressing Cara’s hips and backside, occasionally moving down her thighs only to come back up, lightly scraping her nails over the sensitive skin.

Cara wasted no time in unlacing the dress so Kahlan could take it off. Once the brunette had also taken care of her boots, Cara watched her scoot upwards on the bed and quickly hooked her fingers on Kahlan’s undergarments, so that the piece of clothing was left behind as Kahlan moved away from her. Cara crawled her way up the bed, watching Kahlan take off her black corset, and lowered herself on top of the brunette.

Kahlan opened her legs to welcome Cara, squeezing the blonde’s hips with her thighs while encircling her lover in her arms to pull her down for a languid kiss. She moaned when Cara ground herself down on the brunette’s center and bit Cara’s lip softly, only to gently sooth it with her tongue.

“I like it when you do that,” Cara whispered hotly against Kahlan’s lips, earning herself another teasing bite on her lower lip, and moved her hand to cup Kahlan’s breast, pinching the nipple between her fingers.

“And I _love_ it when you do that,” Kahlan groaned and arched into Cara’s touch, tangling her fingers in the blonde’s hair to pull her back into a searing kiss.

Cara ended the kiss to trail hot kisses along Kahlan’s jaw and sucked on her earlobe as she undulated her hips slowly, their centers rubbing together in an incredibly pleasing way.

“What else do you love?” Cara whispered huskily in Kahlan’s ear and sucked on the sensitive skin just below the brunette’s earlobe, making her lover shiver.

“I don’t know,” Kahlan whimpered and clutched Cara’s shoulder, completely lost in the sensations her lover was causing on her. “I can’t think right now,” she added distractedly, making Cara chuckle throatily.

“It’s a good thing I know then,” Cara said in a low voice before biting Kahlan’s shoulder and sliding one hand down the brunette’s body to press her fingers against her lover’s wet center.

“Fuck, Cara,” Kahlan exclaimed suddenly, making Cara’s eyebrows shot up in pleasant surprise at the unusual expletive. “You definitely do,” she moaned and pressed herself more against the blonde’s fingers.

Cara’s desire only burnt hotter at Kahlan’s words. The blonde returned to kiss Kahlan’s lips passionately, while she circled the brunette’s clit expertly with her fingers. Kahlan was trembling under her and Cara pulled away from the kiss only to trail her tongue down the brunette’s neck, until she reached the heavy breasts she loved to worship, lavishing them with hot kisses and teasing nips. The sounds Kahlan was making fueled Cara’s arousal and the blonde kissed down the brunette’s porcelain skin until she reached her center.

Kahlan moaned almost obscenely when she felt Cara’s lips and tongue on her clit, sucking and flicking it until Kahlan was left panting. She moved one hand to tangle in blonde locks and the other clutched at the arm Cara had draped over her lower stomach.

Cara hissed and moaned when she felt Kahlan’s heel press on her lower back, the vibrations of her moan only served to make Kahlan press down even more. Sensing the brunette was close, Cara entered her lover slowly with one finger, making Kahlan arch off the bed and having to use the arm she kept over her abdomen to keep her down.

Kahlan panted and moaned as Cara’s finger moved in and out of her, reaching and curving to rub every single spot that made Kahlan crazy. The blonde’s mouth never left her clit, working furiously until Kahlan finally tumbled over the edge, her power exploding with the sweet release Cara brought her.

“Cara, come here,” Kahlan said lazily, the aftershocks of her orgasm still running through her body, but her eyes quickly widened when she looked down and noticed Cara’s eyes were still black. “Cara! Are you okay?” she pushed herself up on one elbow and cupped the blonde’s cheek.

“I’m sure I’ll be even better in a few,” Cara smirked and slid up Kahlan’s body. “Why? What’s wrong?” she asked confused, noticing Kahlan’s worried face fade as the brunette looked into her eyes.

“It’s gone now,” Kahlan said, watching the black swirl back away into the familiar green. “Your eyes were still black,” she explained. “It frightened me a little, that’s all,” she chuckled. “I think I still have to get used to seeing that without a minor panic attack.”

“What I’m feeling has nothing to do with panic,” Cara said huskily and lowered herself to claim the brunette’s lips.

“Let’s see if I can make you feel some other things,” Kahlan whispered suggestively against Cara’s lips and rolled the blonde on her back.

Cara smirked and cupped Kahlan’s face to pull her back into a kiss. She was so aroused just from watching Kahlan come undone under her, that the brunette’s power surging through her was almost enough for her to follow her lover over the edge. So now, she moaned and arched up into Kahlan’s body, craving her lover’s touch and wanting nothing more than to feel Kahlan inside her.

Kahlan bit the blonde’s plump lower lip, knowing it always drove Cara crazy, and wasted no time in reaching for her lover’s center. The brunette gasped when she felt how wet and open Cara was already from thrusting one finger all too easily inside the blonde.

“More,” Cara moaned, the raw need clear in her raspy voice, as she jerked her hips up to meet Kahlan’s hands.

Kahlan thought briefly about teasing the blonde for a bit, not giving her what she craved right away, but the little whimpers coming from Cara whenever she flicked her clit with her fingers quickly changed her mind. She entered the blonde again, this time adding one more finger, and smirked into her lover’s neck at the luscious moan the blonde let out.

“Don’t stop,” Cara moaned as she moved her hips in time with Kahlan’s thrusts, rubbing her clit on the heel of the brunette’s hand and clutching her lover’s shoulders for support.

Kahlan kept thrusting inside Cara, curling her fingers and rubbing the sweet spot inside that made the blonde bite her earlobe while she was kissing down her neck. The brunette kept trailing hot kisses down Cara’s chest and moved to suck one nipple in her mouth, making the blonde fist her hair and pull her closer against her breast.

Cara had her eyes tightly closed, concentrating solely on the brunette’s touch. Kahlan’s warm mouth lavished her breasts and sucked hard on the small space between the mounds, surely marking her. The brunette’s fingers never stopped inside her, edging her higher and higher until her breathing came in gasps. Cara felt a tightness in a lower stomach and circled Kahlan’s shoulders. The brunette buried her face on her neck, biting down on the juncture between her neck and shoulder, at the same time that she curled her fingers and pressed the heel of her hand hard against Cara’s clit, making the blonde come undone and cry Kahlan’s name in extasy.

They laid together for a while, both recovering from their lovemaking. Cara was on her back, still trying to catch her breath, while Kahlan curled into her side, one hand flat over the blonde’s chest.

“Did I make you feel some other things?” Kahlan whispered cheekily after a while, making Cara laugh.

“You never fail to make me feel all kinds of things, my love,” she turned her head to look at Kahlan and grinned.

“My love?” Kahlan raised one eyebrow and grinned at Cara when she noticed the faint redness on the blonde’s cheeks.

“It just came out,” Cara shrugged sheepishly, but her eyes never wavered from Kahlan’s.

“Well, keep saying it,” Kahlan said sweetly and shifted closer to kiss Cara’s lips. “I really like hearing it,” she smiled and caressed the blonde’s cheek.

“I’ll keep that in mind, from now on,” Cara smiled back and kissed the brunette’s palm, bringing the hand back to rest on her chest.

“Cara,” Kahlan begin hesitantly after they had been silently basking on the moment. “Do you see yourself living here in Aydindril?” she asked, worrying her lip.

“Do you think I would be accepted here?” Cara asked instead of replying to the brunette’s question, her eyes fixated on the ceiling.

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Kahlan asked confused and a little apprehensive at Cara’s reply.

“Well, for starters I’m supposed to be your mortal enemy,” Cara said with a raised brow as she turned her head to look at Kahlan.

“Please, Cara,” Kahlan dismissed. “We’re so over that,” she made a show of looking at their naked bodies tangled together.

“I know we are,” Cara smiled. “I wasn’t referring to us,” she pointed out.

“You mean the people in Aydindril?” Kahlan ventured and Cara nodded. “Cara, you’re sleeping in my room, on my bed. I think they can take a hint and see how much I welcome you here,” she grinned and shifted closer to Cara to kiss the blonde, only to blink in confusion when Cara stopped her with a finger on her lips.

“Listen to me, you’re not the problem. And you’re wrong about them,” Cara contradicted, tracing the brunette’s lip gently as she collected her thoughts to explain to Kahlan what the brunette wasn’t seeing or didn’t want to see. “Judging by the way these people here treat Richard, especially those on the Council, they think you’re still together,” she said slowly as Kahlan’s eyes widened progressively as she explained.

“No, they don’t. They treat Richard like that because he’s the Seeker and Zedd’s grandson,” Kahlan kept denying, raising herself on her elbow to look down at Cara. “And how could they think I’m with Richard if you’re the one in my room?” she challenged Cara’s statement with what she thought was solid logic.

“Because back when you were actually together you always slept in the same room?” Cara asked sarcastically, making Kahlan pause.

“My sister knows about us, I’ve told her,” Kahlan countered, not ready to give up. “She will surely clarify to the others the exact status of our relationship,” she argued, clearly pleased with her reasoning.

“And how well did that conversation go, again?” Cara asked, her tone not changing, as Kahlan sighed frustratingly at the reminder of her sister’s bad reaction to the news. Dennee still held a grudge against Cara and she made sure to let Kahlan know just how big a mistake she thought the Mother Confessor was making. “Plus, your sister won’t tell anyone a thing because she’s hoping our relationship will be over by the next time she sees you,” the blonde pointed out. “Either that or she’s hoping I die sometime during this quest.” 

“I think Dennee will come around,” Kahlan said after a pause. “She just needs some time to get used to the idea,” Kahlan tried again, not liking the bleak turn the conversation was taking.

“If she ever does, it’s not going to be soon. And your Council won’t be too thrilled about it either,” Cara said more gently, noticing Kahlan growing more upset. It was not her intention to make the brunette feel bad, but they had to face things has they were and not how they wished they were. “Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be good at reading people?” Cara asked with a small nudge at Kahlan, hoping to coax a smile out of the woman. “How haven’t you picked up on all this?”

“I guess I never really thought about it,” Kahlan shrugged and took a deep breath. “Being with you feels so natural to me that I guess I forgot it’s news here,” she rubbed her forehead.

“Trust me, it’s news,” Cara confirmed with a curt nod, tucking the brunette’s hair behind her ear. “And I’m pretty sure that, shy of you directly telling people we are together, they won’t figure it out on their own. Mainly because they’re all so in love of the idea of the Mother Confessor and the Seeker together,” she drawled with a sigh.

“That’s ridiculous,” Kahlan was quick to reply. “And I don’t want you to be upset because of people assuming I’m with Richard. Before we leave tomorrow morning, I’ll tell them-“

“You’ll do no such thing-“ Cara tried to explain but Kahlan wasn’t hearing any of it. The brunette’s concern for her would be touching if it weren’t blinding her to the point.

“What? Why not?” Kahlan frowned at her, clearly not happy with the situation. “I want you to feel welcomed here, I don’t want people upsetting you because they’re-“

“Kahlan!” Cara called suddenly to get the brunette to stop her rambling. “It takes a lot more than a bunch of bureaucrats and wizards for me to be upset, I think you know that by now. And anyway, that’s not what I’m trying to tell you here,” she paused to make sure Kahlan would listen in silence before continuing. “You’re a better politician than this, I know you are. But right now, you’re not seeing the big picture.”

“What big picture?” Kahlan sighed, willing to let Cara clarify her point of view. “The people assuming I’m with Richard? I’ll just clarify the misunderstanding and let them know I’m with you now.”

“They’ll assume far worse things if you drop a bomb like that in Aydindril and them leave without damage control,” Cara pointed out. “Some idiot took over Aydindril and crowned himself High Lord Regent when you were absent doing your duty and helping the Seeker,” Cara recalled, watching Kahlan nod along with her words. “Now imagine what will happen if you shake to the core the expectations they have of you and then just leave again. I guarantee you there will be a lot of people trying to pull the rug from under your feet again,” she explained, finally perceiving a light of understanding on Kahlan’s eyes. “You need to be smart about this. Just leave it be for now.”

“You want me to hide our relationship and keep letting people think I’m with Richard?” Kahlan tried to clarify with a frown. Even if she was starting to get what Cara was getting at, it still didn’t sit well with her.

“We were only here for a couple of days,” Cara reasoned. “Tomorrow morning we’ll leave again and Creator only knows how and when this interminable quest in going to end,” she said. “I don’t want you to hide our relationship. I want you to be aware of the waves our relationship is going to make here and that when that happens you should be right here to defend it, defend yourself and your place in Aydindril.”

“When have you become such a strategist?” Kahlan brushed blonde hair away from Cara’s face and smiled, now completely understanding and agreeing with Cara’s assessment.

“I’m a Mord’Sith,” Cara shrugged, running her hand lazily up and down Kahlan’s back. “Schemes, politics and back stabbing are a language I spoke all my life,” she pointed out as Kahlan playfully pretended to have just now remembered that information.

“Someone like you would help me a lot with ruling Aydindril,” Kahlan said in a playful tone, but bit her lip nervously. “You still haven’t answered my question,” Kahlan pointed out. They had become sidetracked with talking about the repercussions of their relationship on Aydindril’s politics and Cara had never told her if she wanted to even be in Aydindril in the first place.

“Is that your way to ask me to join the pompous members of the Council?” Cara chuckled, but then frowned when she noticed Kahlan’s nervous expression.

“It’s my way to ask you about your plans after we close the rift,” Kahlan said carefully, worrying her lip as she watched Cara’s reaction closely.

Cara frowned and sat up, a pensive expression on her face. She had no doubts about what she wanted to do and who she wanted to be with, that answer would always be Kahlan, she wanted to build a life with the brunette. She had also made a promise to Richard long ago; she pledged herself to serve and protect him. Even if he didn’t want to acknowledge it, he was the Lord Rahl and she was still a Mord’Sith. A Mord’Sith that now found herself very much in love with a woman that was not only a Confessor, but the Mother Confessor at that, with undeniable duties and responsibilities to the people of the Midlands. She wasn’t naïve. She knew that this quest would eventually end and their status quo would be shaken and some decisions would have to be made. She just preferred to ignore all that and enjoy the moments she had with Kahlan; after all, despite Richard’s unwavering optimism, they didn’t know how well this quest would end up.

“When all this is over, the Seeker won’t need the help of his Confessor anymore,” Kahlan started again, after a moment of leaving Cara to her own thoughts. “I’ll have to come back here. My place is in Aydindril; I’ve been postponing my duties here long enough,” she said gently, tracing a soothing pattern along Cara’s back.

“I know that. You’re right, your place is here,” Cara replied calmly and then became pensive once more. She supported Kahlan in that decision, it made perfect sense to her. “You know I want to be with you,” she said with a small smile that immediately put Kahlan more at ease. “I was just thinking about Richard. What kind of person does it make me if I break a promise to the man I’m supposed to be bound to?” Cara said after a moment, looking down at Kahlan with a guarded expression.

“ _Supposed_ to be bound to?” Kahlan asked curiously and sat up to face Cara. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, having easily picked up on Cara’s wording.

“Probably nothing,” Cara huffed and shrugged dismissively.

“If it wasn’t nothing you wouldn’t have said it,” Kahlan pointed out, smiling when Cara glared at her. “I seem to recall that you don’t say anything you don’t mean,” she prodded teasingly, knowing throwing Cara’s words back at her would probably get a reaction.

“There’s something weird going on with the bond,” she started awkwardly, not really knowing how to explain what she was feeling. “I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you about it for a few days, but I was just trying to understand it myself first.”

“Weird how?” Kahlan furrowed, tracing lazy circles over Cara’s thigh.

“Weird like-“ Cara huffed frustratingly and let herself fall back down on the bed, one hand rubbing her eyes. “It’s weakening,” she finally said, looking directly at Kahlan to assess her reaction.

“Could it be because Richard refuses to take the title of Lord Rahl?” Kahlan considered, placing a comforting hand on Cara’s stomach.

“He refused it from the start and I always felt the bond,” Cara shook her head, her eyes turning inward as she thought about what could be causing it.

“Maybe it’s because of the lack of devotions?” Kahlan tried again reluctantly, this wasn’t exactly something she knew much about.

“It could be,” Cara paused. “But it shouldn’t happen, the bond is not a fleeting thing,” she said with a frown. “But the weirdest thing it’s not even that it’s weaker, it’s that I don’t feel the absence of it like I should,” she added, gathering by Kahlan’s confused expression that the brunette didn’t quiet get what she meant. “When Richard died, the bond disappeared and I felt it’s absence. Like suddenly I had this void inside me that nothing could fulfill,” she explained, watching Kahlan nod in understanding.

“But now you don’t feel any of that emptiness, even though you realize the bond is weaker somehow?” Kahlan clarified as she settled next to Cara again, propping herself up on her elbow and caressing the blonde’s skin distractedly while she tried to piece together what the woman was telling her.

“Exactly,” Cara nodded and sighed, interlacing her fingers with Kahlan’s and resting their joined hands back on her stomach.

“I know you felt the bond all your life and I wouldn’t presume to really understand what if feels like, but,” Kahlan paused and looked into Cara’s eyes. “Maybe this could be a good thing. I’m sorry, but being tied like that to a ruler still doesn’t seem right to me,” she said with a sigh.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Cara smiled, glad for Kahlan’s consideration on this touchy subject. “I know what you mean and, theoretically, I’m inclined to agree with you, it’s just-“

“It’s just that it has always being there and it’s part of you, liking it or not,” Kahlan summarized, understanding that the bond was definitely more complicated than just a leash for Lord Rahl to control his people, it also gave the people a sense of comfort. “And I think your sense of loyalty to Richard is not because of the bond or your obligations as a Mord’Sith, not anymore,” Kahlan caressed Cara’s upper arm with the back of her fingers and smiled when the blonde looked at her with pursed lips, not a word of protest leaving her mouth. “It is because you made a promise to a friend; you promised him you would always be there to protect him, am I right?”

“Sometimes you know me better than I know myself,” Cara brought her joined hands up and kissed Kahlan’s hand gently. “Richard is an idiot sometimes, but-” she stated with a shake of her head.

“But he was the one that extended his hand to you and gave you a second chance,” Kahlan finished for Cara, smiling when the blonde reluctantly nodded. “You should talk to him,” she said and shook her head when Cara immediately curled her lip in distaste for the idea. “Don’t be like that, just listen to me,” she said gently as she cupped Cara’s cheek to make the blonde look at her. “I think you need to hear him say that you don’t own him anything. Being loyal to Richard doesn’t have to mean being right next to him every day,” she said and kissed Cara’s temple. “And maybe ask Zedd what could be happening with the bond,” she added, smiling when Cara nodded. 

“I’ll think about it,” Cara compromised and turned on her side to pull Kahlan closer to her. “Although there’s no need to have those talks anytime soon, since Richard is taking forever to find the Stone of Tears, so let’s worry about the future another day,” she chuckled and caressed Kahlan’s lower back, making the brunette shiver in response.

“You’re probably right,” Kahlan laughed along with Cara. “And I don’t think we have much to worry about when it comes to the future,” she said pensively while she draped her arm over Cara’s side and ran her fingers up and down Cara’s back.

“Why do you say that?” Cara said with a raised eyebrow, noticing the serious tone of the brunette’s voice.

“I just have this serene sensation when I think about us and about our future,” Kahlan explained with a small shy shrug. “I know it doesn’t make much sense and I’m not relying entirely on it, but I can’t help but feel like everything will work itself out somehow.”

“Optimistic, are we?” Cara grinned, running her hand up and down the arm Kahlan had draped over her.

“I guess I learnt that from Richard,” Kahlan chuckled.

“That’s about all you could have learnt from him, I guess,” Cara drawled, but the glint in her eyes let Kahlan know she was teasing.

“Don’t be mean,” Kahlan mock scolded the blonde.

“If I wasn’t mean I wouldn’t be half as fun,” Cara smirked smugly. “And you wouldn’t love me as much,” she wiggled her eyebrows playfully, making Kahlan laugh.

“Spirits, I can’t believe I’ve fallen in love with someone so smug,” Kahlan shook her head fondly.

“There’s nothing wrong with being confident,” Cara shrugged unapologetically. 

“Confident?” Kahlan raised an eyebrow. “That’s what you’re going to call it?” she teased with a laugh.

“Extremely confident,” Cara nodded and moved to straddle a laughing Kahlan. “I’m confident that I can turn that laugh into moans in under five seconds,” she smirked and lowered her full body over Kahlan’s, entangling their legs together and pinning Kahlan’s arms over her head.

“You can try,” Kahlan smirked alluringly up at Cara and yelped when the blonde lowered herself suddenly to her neck.

Once Cara’s lips were on her earlobe, Kahlan didn’t even last two seconds before moaning contently and turning her head to meet the blonde in a passionate kiss, her body already eagerly anticipating her lover’s touch. 

When they finally fell asleep, the sun was already starting to peek over the horizon. 

********************

“You wanted to see us, my dear?” Zedd asked as he entered the room with Richard beside him, after they had been summoned to Kahlan’s presence, looking questioningly at her.

“Yes, I’m sorry for making you both come here so late but… here,” Kahlan apologized and extended her hand towards them. “Do you recognize this?” she asked, as the men approached her curiously and peeked at what she was holding in her hand.

“That’s the Stone of Tears!” Richard said in awe as his eyes widened in recognition.

“Creator be praised, it is,” Zedd’s eyes also widening in surprise as he took the stone from Kahlan to better look at it. “How is it here?” he frowned in confusion.

“Sarah had it,” Cara replied. “She said she found it in the Confessor’s Palace in the past,” she clarified as both men kept looking dumbly from her to the stone.

“But when the girls met us, we still didn’t have the stone,” Richard recalled, his brown furrowing in thought. “Where exactly did she find it?”

“She said it was on the floor after Cara had been killed,” Kahlan explained and they watched in silence as Zedd paced back and forth a couple times, clearly deep in thought.

“Did you cry when you died?” Zedd suddenly stopped and asked Cara.

“I don’t remember that particular death,” Cara said slowly, staring at Zedd. “But I highly doubt that I cried,” she said flippantly, as if that was preposterous.

“You died by confession, Cara,” Kahlan reminded the blonde. “That’s far from a normal death.”

“Still, I don’t see it happening,” Cara repeated with a shake of her head. “But Sarah mentioned that _you_ were crying over my dead body,” she pointed out.

“She did,” Kahlan nodded with a frown. “But what does that have to do with anything?” she asked Zedd.

“You made a Stone of Tears,” Zedd stated simply, looking directly at Kahlan.

“That’s impossible, Zedd,” Kahlan immediately denied. “The Stone of Tears was given to us by that mysterious woman,” she recalled. “You said there was a strong possibility that she was the Creator, remember?” the brunette raised one eyebrow. “How could _I_ have _made_ a Stone of Tears?”

“The Stone of Tears was created from great sorrow, that came from a great love,” Zedd started pensively as the others looked at him expectantly. “You’re a Confessor, Kahlan. Your very power is based on love. What happens when you suffer? What happened when you discovered Farkas had killed Cara and the girls went through the portal?” he questioned, sure he was making his point across.

“I entered the Con Dar,” Kahlan said, eyeing Zedd with new understanding.

“And you knew Raina had brought Cara back and there was a strong possibility that the girls were still alive in the past,” Zedd continued with his reasoning. “Now, imagine yourself in your younger self shoes,” he said with a sigh. “She found Cara dead. Confessed by her own sister. And the only Mord’Sith in sight was a kid that had never been able to give the Breath of Life. You see the difference?”

“She must have been completely devastated,” Kahlan said with a shuddering breath and tears in her eyes.

“Exactly,” Zedd nodded with a kind smile. “This _is_ the Stone of Tears, of that I have absolutely no doubt,” he reiterated with conviction, glancing at his grandson who nodded his agreement with the wizard’s assessment. “I’ve known you and Cara for a long time now, Kahlan. I witness how strong your love is every day. It’s that love that makes you both strive to be better. It’s that love that rules this city, in the way you both trust each other and defend what you both believe in,” he paused and looked almost humorously at them. “That love allowed you to conceive two children. How can you even doubt that it allowed you to create one small stone?” he grinned, happy with his conclusion.

“Well, when you put it like that,” Richard chuckled. “I guess it’s not so unbelievable that Kahlan’s tears created that stone,” he said, looking pointedly at Cara knowing she was the more skeptical among them.

“I have to relent on this one,” Cara said after a brief pause, nodding at the men and looking at her wife. “You do love me a lot,” she smirked playfully, making Kahlan chuckle amusedly.

“As I said, a great sorrow born of a great love,” Zedd repeated with a nod.

“But if I created that stone all those years ago,” Kahlan said pensively. “Who was that woman that we thought to be the Creator?” she pondered.

“I never thought she was the Creator,” Cara was quick to rectify. “It was you who said that,” she said pointing at Zedd. “And you and Richard went along with his crazy ideas,” she turned her accusatory eyes to Kahlan.

“Coming to that conclusion was not as ludicrous as you always liked to make it sound,” Zedd argued as Cara just rolled her eyes at him. “She did things no normal human could do, the white cloak she was wearing never let us see her face-“

Zedd was interrupted when the door opened and Sarah and Alys came in the room, discussing something quite animatedly.

“Oh, come on, Sarah, just try it,” Alys pleaded with her sister and by the tired sigh of the older girl she had probably been bothering her for a while. “If you put this on, you’ll look like a being sent form above,” the blonde girl teased as she kicked the long cloak she had on, to prevent herself from tripping over it, and pushed the hood back so she could see.

“I rest my case,” Cara threw her arms in the air exasperatingly as they all looked at the exact image they remembered from all those years ago… just shorter.

“Stop messing around with mother’s cloak,” Sarah reprimanded her sister when the small girl finally tripped over the cloth and fell. “It’s too big on you, you’ll ruin it,” she said, taking it off of Alys and folding it carefully in her arms.

“Actually sweetie,” Kahlan started, looking contemplatively at her oldest daughter. “Would you mind putting it on?” the brunette asked, making everyone look at Sarah expectantly.

“Sure,” Sarah said slowly, looking suspiciously at the adults, but did as her mother asked. “What now? Do you want me to twirl?” she said, making Alys giggle.

“Let me just,” Kahlan said mostly to herself as she approached Sarah, pulling the hood over the teen’s head and appraising her from head to toe. “Well, that seems familiar,” she cleared her throat and turned to look at the others, who just nodded back at her with resigned expressions.

“Looks like we were tricked back then,” Zedd said with a little irritation. “Who would have thought?” he harrumphed.

“I would. And I did,” Cara quickly replied. “But you fools kept insisting it was the Creator who handed the stone to us,” she said with a frustrated huff. 

“Come on, Cara,” Richard said. “You didn’t know it was Sarah either,” he pointed out.

“Excuse me for not being able to figure out that the mysterious woman was my own daughter,” Cara shot back. “But I certainly didn’t think she was the Creator!”

“We said she _could be_ ,” Richard corrected good naturedly, this being a subject of discussion for a long time now. “There was no way to be sure of who she really was back then,” he shrugged.

“You have to admit her appearance was shrouded in mystery,” Kahlan told her wife with a smile, earning herself a good-natured glare from the blonde.

“Well, there’s your mystery!” Cara said, pointing at Sarah’s cloaked figure. “Your own daughter fooled you,” she stated with grin, making the others laugh.

“So, what are you saying?” Sarah questioned, lifting the hood off her eyes a bit. “I was the one who gave the stone to you, after all?” she asked in disbelief. 

“Yes,” Cara said simply.

“And to think we were fed some fairytale about the Creator gracing the Seeker on his quest,” Alys mused, her arms crossed as she shook her head disapprovingly at Zedd. “And it was my sister all along?” she said in disbelief. “I am _not_ impressed,” she drawled and looked at an amused Sarah.

“You really want me to go back there and give the stone to uncle Richard?” Sarah asked, still doubtful about this whole thing.

“You brought the stone back with you, sweetie,” Kahlan told her daughter. “We have to get it back where it’s needed and if any of us goes there, they’ll recognize us,” she said, stating the obvious.

“I do keep telling you to stop picking up random things,” Alys reminded her sister. “Maybe this will teach you,” she grinned teasingly.

“Except that if I hadn’t picked up the stone it would have been lost there,” Sarah argued. “So, I guess my collecting habits aren’t so bad,” she said in her defense.

“Kahlan is right,” Zedd said pensively, oblivious to the girls bickering. “We do have to take the stone back to them and it can’t be any of us. Our presence alone, any of us, would already be giving them information about the future that they shouldn’t have,” he said, nodding along with his words. “It has to be you, my child,” he told Sarah. 

“I still don’t like the idea of you going to the past again alone, though,” Kahlan said worriedly, one look at Cara letting her know the blonde agreed with her. “It’s not safe.”

“Oh, I’ll go with her!” Alys immediately volunteered with a raised hand and a huge grin.

“That hardly makes it safer, baby girl,” Cara smiled in amusement. “I dare say it makes it even more dangerous,” she added teasingly, watching the girl pout.

“I’ll go with Sarah,” Zedd announced and clasped the teen’s shoulder. “With a little magical help from me, you’ll get there safely and hand our past selves the Stone of Tears without revealing your identity.”

“Are you up for it, kid?” Cara asked, wanting to make sure her daughter was okay with the plan.

“Of course,” Sarah agreed readily. “It wasn’t that hard to fool them the first time I was there, shouldn’t be difficult this time either,” she said nonchalantly and chuckled at the unamused looks she was getting from the adults. “Don’t look so dejected, it’s the simple truth,” she said and looked at Alys for support. “Not to mention that you can’t read me, so I can lie my heart out,” she smirked at Kahlan who just raised a warning eyebrow at her.

“Sarah’s right,” Alys confirmed with a nod. “It was not that big of a challenge,” the girl shrugged apologetically to the adults.

“Challenge or not, you need to be careful,” Kahlan told her daughter with a frown. “You’ll go there, hand them the stone and talk as little as possible,” she said seriously, fixing her daughter with a warning stare. “And for the love of the Creator, do _not_ show them your face.”

“Why not?” Alys asked confused.

“Because one look at your sister’s resemblance to your mom and we would all freak out,” Richard explained as Alys nodded in understanding while looking between her sister and her mom.

“Fine, whatever,” Sarah rolled her eyes. “You’re making this seem like I’m going into battle, I just have to talk to them and hand them the stone,” she huffed. “What could possibly go wrong?”

“Your mom attacking you for starters,” Richard pointed out as he looked at Cara. “She was always suspicious about the woman who gave us the stone, so if you push your luck with her, it could end badly,” he explained as the others nodded in agreement.

“What do mean, ‘push my luck’?” Sarah raised one eyebrow at Richard who just looked at her with a knowing smile. 

“We know you, sweetie,” Kahlan tucked her daughter’s hair behind her ear and smiled knowingly. “You will want to provoke them and have a little fun with this situation, or am I wrong?” she asked and pursed her lips when Sarah just smirked. “That’s exactly the attitude you need to avoid.”

“Why do we have to be so sneaky about this?” Sarah argued with a sigh. “Can’t I just go there and give them the stone? Won’t they know who I am already?”

“They were going to drink the forgetting potion as soon as they crossed the portal back to the past,” Zedd reminded the teen. “So no, they won’t know who you are anymore and it’s best we keep it that way.”

“So, again, do not show them that pretty face of yours, or they’ll see the resemblance,” Cara reminded her daughter as she pointed to herself. “Bite your tongue and do not, under _any_ circumstances, provoke me,” she warned. “Because I remember being very close to hitting that woman back then, so don’t try anything funny. I don’t want you hurt.”

“You just need to behave like you do in the hearings,” Alys said with a shrug. “You talk very calmly and to the point.”

“Exactly,” Kahlan said with a nod at her youngest daughter. “Just like at the hearings, listen more than talk,” she nodded. 

“Okay, then,” Sarah tugged the hood of the cloak to hide her eyes and smirked. “I guess I’m going back to the past.”

********************

Early afternoon, on the next day, they all went to the Wizard’s Keep to open the portal into the past. Zedd chose the huge library because it was the place in Aydindril that hadn’t changed over the years and it was expected to be empty, so no one would spot them when they arrived.

“Be careful, sweetie,” Kahlan said as she caressed her daughter’s cheek and pulled the white hood tighter over the teen’s eyes. “And remember, talk as little as possible,” she repeated watching her daughter roll her eyes.

“Don’t worry, mother,” Sarah assured, smoothing out the white dress she had under the white cloak. “I’m pretty careful with my words when I want. They’ll never guess who I really am,” she smirked with confidence.

“I still don’t get why I can’t go too,” Alys crossed her arms with a pout.

“Because this is risky as it is,” Cara explained with smile at her peeved daughter. “Let’s keep it as simple as we can.”

“Can you at least keep the portal open so we can watch?” Alys asked Zedd, never one to give up easily.

“No, little one,” the wizard chuckled when the small blonde sighed. “Your mom is right; we have to keep this as simple as possible. I’ll hide while Sarah approaches them alone,” he explained the plan one more time.

“Whatever,” Alys shrugged. “I can’t wait to grow up so I can have more fun,” she mumbled to herself.

“Let’s hope what you call fun changes before then,” Cara said while she combed through the girl’s blonde hair.

“You can hope,” Sarah grinned. “But I don’t see it happening,” she said with a chuckle.

“Don’t be in a rush to grow up, baby girl,” Kahlan advised and pulled a disgruntled Alys to herself, kissing the top of her daughter’s head gently. “Let’s do this then. Zedd,” she prompted to which the wizard nodded.

“Get back,” Zedd warned and raised the Triangle of Anuyr while proffering the needed words. After only a small moment, a portal opened before their eyes and the same room could be seen on the other side. “Let’s go, Sarah,” the wizard said and walked through the portal, motioning with his hand for Sarah to follow him after he made sure he was alone.

“Wish me luck,” Sarah grinned at her family and walked through the portal as well. With one last wave back, the portal closed and it was only her and Zedd in the silent room.

“Now all we have to do is use this and find Kahlan,” Zedd said as he took Oloron’s amulet from his long sleeve. “Give me your hand and think about your mother,” he instructed.

Sarah watched as Zedd placed his hand on her own, Oloron’s amulet between them and started to mumble some words she couldn’t understand. Before she knew it, the shelves around her gave way to trees and bushes. They had done it, they managed to travel from the Wizard’s Keep to somewhere in the middle of a forest.

“Where are we?” Sarah wondered as she looked around the clearing they stood in.

“Somewhere not far from Aydindril, judging by the type of the trees surrounding us,” Zedd clarified, also looking around.

“And how are we supposed to find my mother now?” Sarah asked the wizard. “Does that thing glow the closer we get to her or something?” she motioned to the amulet in the wizard’s hands.

“It does no such thing,” Zedd frowned at the brunette. “She should be close by. Listen,” he prompted while gesturing for the teen to be silent. “Someone is approaching,” he whispered and they both turned to look at the path they could see a few feet away.

“It’s them,” Sarah said excitedly. “Quick, puff me in front of them,” she secured her hood around her face and when the wizard opened his mouth to talk Sarah shushed him. “Enough with the warnings and advise, I got this. Do it already,” she said confidently.

Zedd took a deep breath, mumbled the necessary words for the spell and watched Sarah disappear.

********************

“The compass keeps pointing ahead,” Richard informed the rest of them as he checked the compass once again. “We can follow it to the next town. We’ll be there by sundown or earlier, if we keep a good pace,” he smiled happily.

They had left Aydindril early that morning, the town had gathered to send them off with wishes of luck on their quest. Kahlan had amused herself with watching Cara avoid any interactions with the people. She had been grateful for that distraction; Cara’s warning words the night before about the way her people would receive their relationship, coupled with the hostile looks Dennee kept sending Cara when they were saying their goodbyes, had still been troubling her. 

“If the wizard doesn’t slow us down, you mean,” Cara drawled, throwing a quick glance at Zedd walking behind her.

“I sure would love to see how well you can keep up when you get to my age,” Zedd replied to Cara. “Providing you even get there,” he quipped.

“I’m as tough as I look, wizard,” Cara smirked. “I’m sure I’ll manage.”

“Maybe if you two wouldn’t bicker so much we would make better time,” Kahlan teased with a grin.

“I’m perfectly capable of multitasking,” Cara was quick to reply with a grin, but before she could continue the airs at the nape of her neck stood at attention, the grin disappeared from her face and she locked eyes with Zedd.

“You felt it too,” Zedd guessed, understanding Cara’s warning look right away and watching the blonde reach for her agiels.

“What’s wrong?” Richard asked with a frown, looking around them and not seeing any danger.

“It’s magic, isn’t it?” Kahlan asked and Cara just nodded, her eyes scanning the forest around them for any hint of movement.

“Someone used very powerful magic nearby,” Zedd clarified and was turning to the place where he could feel the pull of the magic, when he saw something materialize right behind his grandson. “Richard, watch out!” he shouted in warning and wasted no time in shooting his wizard’s fire at the stranger.

Richard ducked just in time so the flames passed over him towards the white clad figure he glimpsed behind him. But instead of hitting the intended target, the flames were expertly redirected by the white clad figure to a nearby tree.

“I’m not here to harm you,” a woman’s voice was clearly heard, calm and collected, not sounding the least bit intimidated by the flames or the weapons the other three immediately pointed at her.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Cara demanded as she approached the woman, placing herself between the threat and her companions. If this woman could use magic, she was their best defense.

“I’m here to help you on your quest, Seeker,” the woman ignored Cara and instead addressed Richard, her calm demeanor never wavering.

“Help me how?” Richard asked with a furrowed brow, making Cara roll her eyes at the ever-trusting nature of the Seeker.

“By giving you what you seek,” the woman smiled and moved her hand to reach inside her robes, but a dagger pointed at her throat stopped her before she could make another move.

“Kahlan, what are you doing?” Richard asked as he approached the suspicious Confessor.

“I can’t read her, Richard,” Kahlan revealed, her eyes never leaving the hood covered face of the mysterious woman. “I can’t be sure of her intentions,” she said, keeping the dagger menacingly pointed at the woman.

“Just because you can’t read me, doesn’t mean I want to hurt you,” the woman said gently and motioned with her head towards Cara. “You also can’t read her and she couldn’t be further from being your enemy,” the woman smiled knowingly, always careful to keep her head down.

“And how exactly would you know that?” Kahlan asked with a worried frown, not liking that this woman seemed to know about the nature of her relationship with Cara.

“I know all of you very well,” the woman replied calmly, even with the dagger still pointing at her. “That’s how I know Kahlan Amnell would never condemn anyone rashly and would instead allow them to speak in their defense first,” she said with a kind smile, making Kahlan lower her weapon, but not sheath it away.

“Kahlan can’t read you and you deflected the wizard’s fire,” Cara mused, approaching the woman with slow and careful steps. “I think you’re just a Mord’Sith playing costume,” Cara said and raised her agiel to point it menacingly at the woman’s neck.

“I am many things,” the woman replied with a small smile and raised her hand very slowly towards Cara’s agiel. “But being your enemy is not among them,” she said and moved the agiel away slowly with the back of her hand.

Cara watched the woman’s hand make contact with her agiel and waited for the expected scream of pain and for the angry black marks to bite into the woman’s skin, but neither happened. To her surprise, the woman simply moved the weapon away as if it were a staff made of wood instead of the painful leather rod, making no move to attack either of them.

“If you’re an ally, the least you could do is show us your face,” Cara said, allowing her weapon to be lowered but still not trusting this woman one bit.

“It’s not my face you need to see,” the woman maintained her calm demeanor. “All you need to see is this,” she said and reached inside her robes again, under the watchful eye of the others, and pulled out something to present to them.

“Is that what I think it is?” Richard asked stunned, looking at the stone sitting on the woman’s palm.

“This is what you have been looking for, Seeker,” the woman said. “The Stone of Tears,” she announced to everyone’s shock. “Take it, it’s yours,” she smiled gently, offering the stone to Richard.

“It can’t be,” Richard said in awe as he took the stone in his hand.

Richard gave the stone to his grandfather and turned his back on the wizard, then he opened the compass and watched as the indicating light that was previously pointing ahead of them, now pointed to his back. Understanding his grandson’s intention, Zedd moved around with the stone and they all watched as the compass changed directions and followed Zedd’s movements. There was no doubt, this was indeed the Stone of Tears.

“How do you have the Stone of Tears?” Richard asked the woman curiously.

“I found it after death touched someone very dear to me,” the woman said cryptically, as the others looked over the stone.

“Someone dear to you?” Zedd repeated, her brown furrowing in deep thought as if the woman’s words had reminded him of something. “You don’t mean your children, by any chance?” the wizard questioned, getting strange looks from the others. It was well known that the Stone of Tears was made by the Creator after she cried when the Keeper tried to destroy her children.

“The death of our family is reason enough to succumb into unparalleled grief and despair,” the woman smiled sadly. “Wouldn’t you agree, Zedd?” she asked, smiling knowingly at the wizard.

“Yes, yes, it is,” Zedd nodded and shared a knowing look with Kahlan, sure that the Confessor was also recalling what she knew about the Creator. “Maybe enough to create this?” he ventured, motioning to the stone.

“Exactly,” the woman confirmed, to Zedd and Kahlan’s shock. “I wish you luck on the rest of your quest. Take care of each other,” she said kindly.

“Wait,” Zedd said, wanting to confirm his suspicions.

“Don’t trouble yourself, Zedd,” the woman interrupted him kindly. “We will meet again and when we do, all your questions will be answered. Goodbye, for now,” she said and disappeared the same way she appeared, in a flash of light.

“What was that all about?” Cara asked, looking from Zedd to Kahlan, who looked like they had seen a ghost.

“Don’t you get it?” Zedd asked in astonishment, looking at the spot where the woman had vanished.

“Get what, Zedd?” Richard asked, also not following his grandfather’s train of thought.

“That woman was the Creator!” Zedd revealed in awe.

“Your old age finally scrambled your brain for good,” Cara sighed.

“Zedd may be right,” Kahlan interjected, receiving a disbelieving look form Cara. “Think about it for a moment, she deflected magic, I couldn’t read her-“

“ _I_ can do that!” Cara quickly pointed out.

“Yes, but can you magically vanish in a flash of light, though?” Richard countered, seeing what the others meant.

“No,” Cara shook her head. “But a sorceress can,” she pointed out, showing them there where other options for the woman’s identity than her being the Creator. “So, don’t you think jumping to the conclusion that she’s the Creator is stretching it a bit?”

“I can read sorceresses,” Kahlan reminded the blonde, effectively invalidating her theory. “And no sorceress can withstand the pain of an agiel,” she added, reminding the blonde that the mysterious woman hadn’t even flinched when she had touched the weapon.

“Then she’s a Mord’Sith who was teleported in front of us by a sorceress,” Cara tried again with a huff, still refusing to believe the Creator just appeared in front of them.

“Really, Cara?” Richard scrunched his nose doubtfully at the blonde’s far-fetched theory. “And that’s not stretching it?” he asked, pursing his lips. “What next? Are you going to suggest she came from the future or something?” he chuckled amusingly.

“Now _that_ would be stretching it,” Kahlan chuckled at Richard’s mock suggestion, watching Cara sigh frustratingly.

“Cara, think about it for a second,” Zedd tried.

“I don’t need to think about anything,” Cara protested. “You people are just too gullible. I don’t believe, for even a second, that that woman was the Creator.”

“And did you believe you could come back from being a baneling?” Kahlan countered, making Cara pause.

“That’s different, that involved water with magical properties,” she said after a beat. “This is the Creator you’re talking about, not a magical stream in the middle of the forest,” she pointed out.

“But if the Keeper is real, so is the Creator,” Richard argued with a shrug.

“And pray tell, when have you ever seen the Keeper?” Cara challenged. “Never! Only his minions,” she said with satisfaction.

“The Creator is a being of light,” Kahlan said tentatively. “Maybe she dislikes the idea of having minions and instead takes care of things on her own,” she said, knowing from Cara’s less than impressed look that she was not convincing the blonde.

“Let’s agree to disagree then,” Richard sighed. “This discussion will take us nowhere.”

“Speaking of which,” Zedd said, giving the stone back to Richard. “Where to now, my boy?”

Richard opened the compass out of habit, but the ever-trusting blue light wasn’t there anymore.

“Is it broken?” Richard said worriedly.

“I don’t think so,” Zedd shook his head. “The compass was meant to guide the Seeker to the Stone of Tears; since you already have it in your hand, the compass doesn’t work anymore,” he pointed out.

“Right,” Richard nodded with a grin, but it quickly fell into a frown. “But now what do I do with the stone?”

“You mean you don’t know how to use that?” Cara asked in surprise, pointing at the stone.

“No, I don’t” Richard said lamely.

“I guess your new friend has a sense of humor, then,” Cara quipped. “She gave you the stone, but not the instructions,” she continue, the others sharing awkward looks and no one dared to open their mouths.

“Well, I’m sure-“ Richard started before being interrupted by Cara again.

“You’re sure of what?” Cara asked, frowning in annoyance. “You expect someone to come along and happen to have the exact instructions of how to use the Stone of Tears?” she asked in disbelief. “You know what? Judging by what happened to us until now, I wouldn’t even be surprised if what happened next was exactly that,” she huffed and turned to walk briskly down the path.

“She seems irritated,” Richard grimaced and looked at Kahlan for help.

“She’s not good at believing without proof,” Kahlan sighed and watched as Cara walked away, not even bothering to check if they were following her. “I’m sure I can calm her down before we reach the next town,” she tried to smile reassuringly at the men, but failed miserably. She looked worriedly towards Cara and wondered if this outburst had more to do with last night’s conversation than it had to do with the encounter with the stranger and Richard’s lack of a plan.

“Is everything alright between you two?” Richard asked carefully, having noticed Kahlan’s concerned look in Cara’s direction.

“Yes, everything is fine,” Kahlan smiled reassuring, this time more convincingly at Richard’s concern for them. “It’s just that…there’s something else on her mind, I think that’s why she’s lashing out a bit,” Kahlan sighed and started to walk down the road, not bothering to catch up with the blonde because she knew Cara need a little alone time right now.

“I don’t understand, she should be happy,” Richard frowned, walking next to Kahlan. “She’s the one who has being pushing us to hurry in the search for the stone this whole time and now that we have it, she’s upset?”

“At first, completing the quest was just the end of one more mission to her,” Kahlan started to explain, hoping that if she explained it to Richard first, she would be making the blonde’s life a little easier. “But now it’s not that simple and we thought we would have a lot more time to figure things out, but now…” she trailed off, looking pointedly at the stone in Richard’s hand, conveying to him that the moment to make those decisions had come sooner than expected.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Richard frowned, clearly not picking up on Kahlan’s vague hints.

“Richard,” Kahlan tried again patiently. “After we seal the rift, will you go to Aydindril?” she asked.

“I’ll accompany you there, as I always said I would,” Richard said without hesitation. “But I don’t think I’ll be staying, now that I don’t have a reason for it,” he smiled meekly at Kahlan, both knowing that he was talking about her. “I was thinking that I could be more useful if I kept travelling around, helping people where they need me,” he smiled happily, but frowned slightly when he noticed Kahlan and Zedd raise their eyebrows at him expectantly, as if waiting for him to reach a foreseeable conclusion.

“That’s a great and noble plan, my boy,” Zedd shared a knowing look with Kahlan, both knowing Richard still wasn’t grasping the problem. “But that would mean you being away from Kahlan and there’s someone that pledged her allegiance to you, that would also be away from Kahlan if she followed you around,” he said, looking pointedly at Cara’s figure ahead of them.

“Oh,” Richard said simply, now understanding what the others were trying to tell him. “But that doesn’t make any sense. Cara doesn’t have to come with me, she should be with you in Aydindril,” he told Kahlan with a levity that showed his big heart, but also his difficulty to see things from another perspective at times.

“Knowing our Cara, she’s understandably conflicted,” Zedd mused with pursed lips. 

“Why? Because I’m Lord Rahl?” Richard asked, throwing his arms in the air in frustration, they had covered this topic multiple times before. “I’ve told her, time and again, I’m never going to take on that title. Cara has no obligation towards me,” he reiterated.

“I don’t think it’s that simple anymore,” Kahlan said after a pause, continuing when she received a questioning look form Richard. “You’re not just her _Lord Rahl_ , Richard,” she pointed out. “I don’t think you’ve ever been just that. You are the person who gave her a chance to be someone she was already trying to be, but didn’t know how,” she explained. “Even if she doesn’t say it, you’ve become her friend and she made you a promise to always be there for you, to protect you,” she recalled. “And if you forgot, Cara takes promises and loyalty very seriously,” she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“You’re afraid Cara will choose duty over her own happiness, over you,” Zedd guessed as he studied Kahlan’s worried expression.

“I know Cara wants to be with me, I have no doubts about that and neither does she,” Kahlan said with a sigh and looked at Zedd worriedly. “But part of me, the part that always had to choose between duty and happiness, can’t help but be stupidly afraid she might do just that.”

“You can’t seriously be suggesting that she would want to go with me over staying with you?” Richard said in disbelief, looking between Kahlan and Zedd.

“That’s the thing, Richard,” Kahlan sighed, becoming a little frustrated at Richard’s refusal to fully understand the problem at hand. “It’s not about what she wants, it’s about what she sees as her duty,” she pointed out. “The same sense of duty that has me going back to Aydindril.”

“Kahlan is right,” Zedd nodded. “You can’t disrespect Cara by downplaying this. To you it may be an easy answer, but to Cara it is to contradict her own code. It’s not a decision she’ll make lightly.”

“I get all that,” Richard huffed. “But she’s wrong!”

“Maybe don’t tell her that,” Zedd cleared his throat. “Not the best way to approach this subject. Or any subject, when it comes to Cara.”

“Richard, Cara is not used to getting what she wants, she’s used to doing what she’s told-“

“Could have fooled me,” Zedd mumbled good naturedly as the others chuckled.

“You both know what I mean,” Kahlan continued, sure that the men knew she was talking about Cara’s training as a Mord’Sith, that had her just following orders all her life. “Cara has changed in all this time she has been travelling with us, and more so since we’re together,” she said and looked directly at Richard, begging him with her eyes for him to understand the importance of what she was saying. “Listen, my irrational fears aside, I know she’ll be going to Aydindril with me. I just don’t want her to do that feeling like she failed you somehow,” she said, noticing Richard nod in understanding. “As much as she loves and listens to me, when it comes to this, she needs to get that validation from you.”

“Just don’t tell her she’s wrong,” Zedd reminded Richard with a grin.

“I have no desire to be punched in the face,” Richard replied with a grin of his own. “And I understand now what you’re saying,” he said, looking at Kahlan with a soft smile. “Cara started as a convenient ally, but now she’s a very dear friend to me. I understand that for her it’s a little more complicated than that, if nothing else there’s still the bond reminding her that I’m supposed to be her ruler,” he chuckled nonchalantly, but turned to look back when she noticed Kahlan was no longer at his side and was just standing still in the middle of the road.

“Oh, Spirits,” Zedd mumbled with a sigh. “What’s wrong, my dear?” he asked, staring expectantly at a pensive Kahlan.

“The bond,” Kahlan said but hesitated a bit before explaining. This was a sensible subject for Cara and it was something that had to be discussed with the blonde present. She looked ahead, watching as Cara still marched away with no signs of slowing down and looked back at the worried faces of the men. She might as well give them a heads up now, since it looked like the time they thought they had last night, had been abruptly cut short this morning. “There’s something wrong with the bond,” she clarified. “Cara told me last night that the bond has been weakening lately.”

“I didn’t think that was possible,” Richard frowned, more in curiosity than worry. He definitely wouldn’t mind if the bond didn’t exist.

“It shouldn’t be,” Zedd said musingly, his narrowed eyes turning to Cara ahead of them.

“What do you think that means?” Kahlan prodded since Zedd didn’t volunteer any information.

“Well, first we need to know if all D’Harans are feeling the weakening of the bond or just Cara,” he reasoned. “And depending on that, there could be very different reasons for it,” he ventured.

“What if it’s just Cara?” Kahlan insisted, starting their march again. “What do you think could be the reason behind it?”

“My first guess?” Zedd raised one eyebrow at Kahlan. “It would be you, my dear,” he said, getting surprised looks from both his younger companions.

“Me?” Kahlan frowned in astonishment. “How could I have anything to do with it? The bond’s magic is in the blood, Confessor’s magic are in their spirits-“

“It has nothing to do with magic,” Zedd shook his head. “It has to do with the very essence of bonding in itself,” he said, continuing when he saw their confused expressions. “The bond to the House of Rahl might be weakening in Cara, because she formed a new bond, one stronger than any magic,” he paused to give Kahlan a knowing smile. “Love, my dear.”

“Do you think that could be it?” Kahlan asked in astonishment. She knew Cara loved her deeply, for she loved the blonde in the same way, but for it to be so strong that it even broke such powerful blood magic, it surpassed anything she could have imagined.

“It’s just an educated guess,” Zedd shrugged. “I heard whispers that it was possible back when I frequented Panis’ court, but of course, Panis made sure that information was never spread,” he informed them. “Time will tell if that’s the reason.”

Kahlan just nodded back, aware they had little to go on to be making conjunctures that could very well be wrong. But she couldn’t help but hope that Zedd’s explanation would turn out to be the correct one. It would only help assuage Cara’s worries about going back to Aydindril with her. Kahlan looked at Cara again and noticed the blonde had slowed down her pace, so she picked up her own pace to reach Cara, knowing it was the blonde’s way to let her know that she was calmer now and would welcome some company. Smiling to herself, Kahlan was feeling more confident and looking forward to Cara talking with Richard and laying to rest the doubts that still lingered in the blonde’s mind. With that thought in mind, Kahlan smiled to herself, that feeling of trust in the future she had been having lately only intensifying.

********************

“So, how was I?” Sarah asked Zedd with a grin while taking the hood off.

“You played with fire there for a bit,” Zedd couldn’t help but reprimand the girl.

“You started it,” Sarah replied indignantly, making Zedd roll his eyes. “What was that all about anyway? Younger you needs to chill,” she huffed.

“That was what we warned you about all along, that they might attack you,” Zedd hissed. “But I guess we can call it a success,” the wizard sighed and patted the teen’s shoulder.

“I don’t think I fooled mom, though,” Sarah scrunched her nose.

“That was never part of the plan,” Zedd shook his head. “It would never have happened,” he said with chuckle.

“I still wanted to have managed to do it, though,” Sarah shrugged. “Plus, I bet Alys that I could do it. Now I’ll have to clean up the training room on my own for a month,” she huffed, her eyes widening at the prospect.

“Your sister will be over the moon for managing to win one over you,” Zedd laughed.

“Yeah, it will definitely cheer her up,” Sarah said with a smile. “She went through enough hardship lately, the little thing deserves a win,” she said fondly. “Don’t tell her I said that, though,” she warned the wizard, watching the old man pretend to zip his lips.

“Ready to go back home?” Zedd asked and when Sarah nodded, he opened the portal, both walking through it one more time and then used the Oloron’s amulet to immediately be transported to where the Mother Confessor was.

Kahlan was pacing back and forth while they waited for Sarah and Zedd to come back. She looked at her wife and shared an anxious look, not being able to know what was happening wasn’t exactly something they liked when it came to their daughters. Unlike them, Alys didn’t seem to be bothered at all. The girl was talking animatedly with Raina and Berdine, when a familiar light appeared in midair and morphed into a portal, Zedd and Sarah walking through a second later.

“That was fast,” Kahlan smiled in relief and went to hug her daughter. “Everything went well?” she asked, taking the cloak off the teen and looking her up and down.

“You can stop checking for injuries, mother,” Sarah chuckled in amusement. “Everything went perfectly fine,” she said with a proud smile.

“If you don’t count the wizard’s fire and the dagger and agiel aimed at your throat,” Zedd shared nonchalantly. “Yes, you could say everything went perfectly fine.”

“What?” Kahlan exclaimed with wide eyes as Cara immediately approached them and brushed Sarah’s hair away to check her neck.

“Will you two stop with the fussing?” Sarah shrugged her mothers hands off. “No one hurt me,” she guaranteed. “Zedd could never have manage it,” she said, throwing the old wizard a mocking grin. “And you two, I convinced to stand down with just words, like I said I would,” she pointed out, daring her mothers to scold her.

“That’s true,” Zedd confirmed. “The girl was pretty crafty with her words,” he said with an impressed nod.

“I’m glad you managed to pull that off,” Cara said. “I couldn’t help but be worried about how they would receive you.”

“It was touch and go for a little bit there,” Zedd said. “But, thank the Creator Sarah took after Kahlan on her problem-solving skills and resorted to diplomacy,” the wizard continued, his tone growing increasingly mocking. “If she had taken after her other mother, we would have had a fight on our hands,” he finished with an all too sweet grin at Cara, his words a clear jab at the blonde, who’s only reply was to shot him a similar falsely sweet smile. 

“And did they think you were the Creator?” Alys pipped in curiously.

“Yes, it was embarrassingly easy to convince them,” Sarah replied, sharing a laugh with her sister, not caring that the adults didn’t seem to join on their amusement.

“And did you convince _everyone_?” Alys questioned with a raised eyebrow, a certain bet not forgotten to her.

“No,” Sarah admitted with a defeated groan after a pause. “I couldn’t fool mom,” she confirmed, watching a very pleased Cara cross her arms and look at the others with a smug smirk.

“I won the bet,” Alys’ eyes widened in glee as the girl seemed shocked with her own win. She only came out of it when Raina raised one hand in front of her and the little girl high-fived the Mord’Sith excitedly.

“There’s such a thing as overconfidence, princess,” Raina told Sarah while the teen hung her head in defeat. “As judge of this bet, I’ll hold you to your cleaning duties for the next month.”

“Judge of the bet?” Cara asked with an incredulous frown, looking dumbfounded at Raina.

“I’ll have you know it’s a very prestigious role,” Raina replied without missing a bit, the way she managed to maintain a serious face only making Cara chuckle and shake her head. “And plus, it avoids a lot of arguing between our princesses.” 

“Well, now that our princesses already had a vacation,” Berdine cleared her throat and spoke in an authoritarian tone. “I believe you both have lessons to attend to,” she said to both girls’ complete horror.

“You’re kidding, right?” Alys asked with a charming smile, gulping when the Mord’Sith just shook her head. “Mommy? Mom?” the girl pleaded.

“Berdine and Zedd are your teachers,” Kahlan shrugged, trying not to laugh at the girl’s crestfallen look and noticing that Berdine was struggling with the same problem. “They’re the ones who decide your schedule,” she said, Cara nodding in accordance beside her.

“I just got back from time travelling,” Sarah tried her luck. “Do you know how tiring that is?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips and pretending to be exhausted.

“It so happens that I just made the same trip as you,” Zedd said to Sarah as he approached Berdine. “I’m more than five times your age, so if I’m not tired, you aren’t either. So, let’s go,” he winked mockingly at Sarah, just to have the teen glare at him.

“Raina?” Alys chanced their last resort.

“You know I don’t take your side against her when it comes to your lessons,” Raina pointed at Berdine and shook her head apologetically. “That never ended well for me before.”

“I guess we’ll see you girls at dinner time,” Cara mocked, smirking when both her daughters glared at her.

“I’ll see you later,” Alys dragged her feet to her mothers and gave them both a kiss on the cheek, yelping and giggling when Cara trapped her in her arms and tickled her, the scowl that was on her face quickly shifting into the usual carefree grin.

“See you later,” Sarah followed her sister and went to kiss her mothers goodbye, although not as grouchily as the little blonde.

“We’ll see you later, sweetie,” Kahlan told her as she cupped her cheeks. “You did really good, today and throughout this whole thing. I’m really proud of you,” Kahlan smiled and kissed Sarah’s cheek one more time.

“Looks like you _are_ growing up,” Cara sighed and tucked Sarah’s hair behind her ear.

“Are you going to cry, mom?” Sarah teased, noticing her mom’s eyes shine tearfully, and laughed when the blonde mock glared at her. “Don’t worry, you can keep calling me kid, I like that,” she winked at her mom and grinned when Cara just pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple tenderly.

“What about me?” Alys asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Aren’t you proud of me too?” she giggled happily.

“We’re proud of you too,” Kahlan grinned and pinched the girl’s cheek. “Now go,” she said as she turned Alys around and playfully swatted the little girl’s behind. “Don’t make Berdine wait for you or she’ll make you stay longer,” she reminded her daughter and chuckled when the girl quickly scurried out after her teacher, Sarah following her sister with a slower stride.

“Not to brag, but we raised two pretty amazing girls,” Cara said as she hugged Kahlan from behind while they watched their daughters walk out the room with the rest of the adults.

“We did,” Kahlan agreed and turned her head to place a kiss on Cara’s cheek. “I can only imagine what the future holds in store for them,” she mused with a smile.

“You don’t have to imagine. We can always take a peek,” Cara said with a grin.

“There’s no need,” Kahlan shook her head, knowing her wife was just teasing her. “Whatever the future brings, I’m sure we’ll deal with it together,” she said, turning to look meaningfully at Cara. “ _This_ ,” she started, purposely pulling her wife’s arms more securely around her. “Will always give me all the strength I need to go through everything life throws at us,” she finished, smiling when Cara leaned in to kiss her sweetly.

********************

Kahlan was sitting at the window of their room at the inn, looking outside to distract herself while she waited for Cara to come back. They had arrived at the town by late afternoon, as Richard had predicted. After they had dinner, Cara asked Richard to speak with him and they had both had gone for a walk outside. She was tired from walking all day, so she had excused herself from Zedd, sure that the wizard would be well entertained whith telling tales to the townspeople, and went to relax in her and Cara’s room. The sound of the door being opened brought her out of her reverie.

“How did it go?” Kahlan asked expectantly as she got up to approach Cara.

“Good,” Cara said simply, placing a small bundled up cloth on the nearby table. “A little awkward at first, but I guess it could have been a lot worse if someone hadn’t given him some pointers earlier today,” she said slowly, looking pointedly at a suddenly nervous Kahlan.

“You don’t mind that I talked to Richard and Zedd, do you?” Kahlan asked, biting her lip and circling Cara’s shoulders with one arm while her other hand went to its familiar place on Cara’s chest. 

“Of course I don’t mind,” Cara replied with a small shake of her head, her hands resting on Kahlan’s sides as she leaned in to capture the brunette’s lips in a small kiss. “He ended up doing most of the talking actually, which is fine by me,” she chuckled.

“And did you decide anything?” Kahlan continued her inquiring, studying Cara’s face closely. “Not that you need to decide anything right away, we still have no idea what to do with the Stone of Tears and even if we did you still didn’t need to rush into-“

Cara cut Kahlan’s nervous ramble off with a kiss. She had meant for it to be quick, but the way the brunette readily kissed her back made her prolong the caress and just let her lips slide languidly against Kahlan’s until they both needed some air.

“When this quest is finished,” Cara started in a low voice, looking deeply into Kahlan’s eyes. “I’ll go with you to Aydindril,” she confirmed, watching as Kahlan’s smile grew into a happy grin.

“You’re really coming with me?” Kahlan asked excitedly, hugging Cara tightly when the blonde nodded her confirmation one more time. This wasn’t exactly a surprise to her, but felt good to have the stubbornly lingering doubts squashed away for good. 

“If we don’t die on this quest, then yes, I’m definitely going with you,” Cara chuckled, holding the content brunette close to her.

“You already died once and baneling was not a good look on you,” Kahlan pulled away from the hug and looked sternly at the blonde. “You’re not allowed to die again, you hear me?”

“So, is this how this will work now?” Cara said teasingly. “You plan on bossing me around?”

“If you plan on doing stupid things like dying, then yes,” Kahlan nodded with a mock serious expression. “But I was more interested in this being a partnership,” she smiled. “I want to build a life with you.”

“We both want the same thing, then,” Cara replied meaningfully and then paused. “I hope you know coming with you was really not ever in question,” she added while Kahlan cupped her cheek and smiled at her. “I was just having a little difficulty with reconciling that fact with the promise I made to Richard,” she explained, albeit unnecessarily because she knew Kahlan understood her dilemma perfectly. “He told me he won’t be taking the title of Lord Rahl, which I still think it’s pretty stupid,” she rolled her eyes as Kahlan chuckled. “And that I’m the one who decides what to do with my life.”

“I know all that,” Kahlan said softly, running a gentle finger down Cara’s nose. “That’s why I encouraged you to talk to him,” she added with a glint in her eyes.

“I’m sensing an ‘I told you so’ in there somewhere,” Cara squinted at the brunette.

“I wasn’t planning on saying it,” Kahlan bit her lip to stop herself from grinning. “But since you’ve noticed it,” she trailed of teasingly, shrugging her shoulders as Cara just shook her head amusedly at her.

“Anyway, we also talked to Zedd about the bond,” Cara said as Kahlan tilted her head in curiosity. “It turns out there’s a few D’Haran travelers staying here at the inn. Zedd was talking to them and they told him they didn’t feel any changes in the bond, none confirmed ever feeling it growing weaker. So, I guess that’s only happening to me.”

“And what does Zedd think about that?” Kahlan questioned, already having an idea.

“What he already told you earlier,” Cara smiled. “That my love for you may be erasing the bond,” she said to an equally smiling Kahlan.

“You think that might be it?” Kahlan asked, with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

“I have no idea,” Cara shrugged her shoulders. “All I know is how I feel and I feel great, so it can’t be a bad thing,” she stated with confidence.

“You and your simple solutions,” Kahlan shook her head fondly.

“That usually are correct,” Cara readily pointed out, making Kahlan chuckle and nod her head reluctantly.

“What’s that?” Kahlan motioned to the cloth the blonde had previously placed on top of the table.

“This?” Cara asked, picking the small bundle up as Kahlan nodded. “Nothing much, just something I picked out for you while I was out with Richard,” she smiled and offered the small bundle to Kahlan.

“What is it?” Kahlan asked curiously as she took the offered cloth and opened it. “Blackberries!” she gasped in delight and smiled at Cara. “Do you remember the first time you got me these?” she questioned fondly, not wasting time in popping one in her mouth, moaning gently at the taste.

“I might,” Cara said with a teasing smile, pulling Kahlan more securely to her. “If I remember correctly, I didn’t even mean to pick them up. I was just roaming around in the woods and I was so consumed by thoughts of you that I didn’t even notice what I was doing,” she recalled.

“What kinds of thoughts?” Kahlan prodded, not wasting an opportunity to make Cara talk about what she had been feeling before they got together. 

“Confusing ones,” Cara replied. “You were driving me crazy with the way you had been making me feel,” the blonde admitted with a sigh. “I wasn’t really used to those kinds of feelings back then.” 

“It was that gesture, of you getting me the blackberries, that really made me start to look at you differently, you know?” Kahlan said fondly, playing with Cara’s hair.

“How so?” Cara tilted her head in curiosity.

“It was sweet and considerate,” Kahlan said with a smile. “Like many other things that you did only for me. I just started to consciously notice them a lot more after that moment,” she recalled, trailing her fingers from Cara’s hair, down her neck and running them on random patterns along the blonde’s chest.

“I think by then I was already in love with you but didn’t know it,” Cara chuckled.

“I think I was already in love with you too, but that was a scary thought to have back then,” she recalled. “So, I softened it by calling it a thriving friendship,” she giggled amusedly, making Cara chuckle along with her. “So, do you want some?” Kahlan asked suggestively, mirth glinting in her eyes.

“This time, I know for sure you’re not talking about the blackberries,” Cara grinned impishly, lowering one hand from Kahlan’s back to squeeze the brunette’s behind provocatively.

“Suit yourself, they’re delicious,” Kahlan shrugged playfully, doing her best to refrain her body from reacting to Cara’s touch, and popped another blackberry in her mouth.

“I know something else that’s absolutely delicious,” Cara smirked alluringly and pushed Kahlan on top of the table before capturing the brunette’s lips in a passionate kiss.

Kahlan smiled into the kiss and made room for Cara in between her legs. She blindingly put the cloth with the blackberries on the table in favor of circling Cara’s neck and pulling the blonde closer to her, returning the kiss with abandon. Cara was right, this was so much more delicious than the berries.

“I love you so much,” Kahlan smiled tearfully, cupping both of Cara’s cheeks tenderly and caressing the skin with her thumbs.

Cara smiled back at the brunette, her eyes also showing the strong emotions Kahlan evoked in her. This beautiful woman was everything to her. Kahlan had shown her that, unlike what she had been taught all her life, love doesn’t make a person weaker, because it made her so much stronger. Cara watched as one lone tear travelled down Kahlan’s cheek and she slowly leaned in to catch it with her lips, leaving a tender kiss on the brunette’s soft skin.

“I love you too,” Cara replied with a gentle smile, sharing a meaningful look with Kahlan that said more than simple words ever could, before leaning in and capturing her love’s lips again in a kiss that was a promise for the future.

********** FIM **********


End file.
